Acceptance and compliance to ventilation treatment in OSAS patients

The aim of the study was to analyse acceptance and treatment adherence to PAP therapy. Continuous PAP (CPAP) therapy is the gold standard in the treatment of OSAS patients. It is well known that the therapy is effective only if used correctly on a regular basis. The effectiveness of PAP therapy depends from acceptance or the willingness of the patient to use PAP device. About 15-30% of OSAS patients refuse to start treatment after the tritation study. The compliance to PAP therapy is higher if patients receive a correct information on the severity of OSAS and its consequences and a complete instruction on device functioning and use. Many factors can also reduce the adherence to treatment defined as PAP regular use more than 4 hours per night 70% of the days. A correct adhesion to PAP treatment is expected in about 30-50% of patients after three months of therapy, with a decreased percentage lower than 25% after three years. Symptoms and side effects associated to PAP therapy like mouth leak, excessive pressure, nose stuffiness together with problems with the bed partner, can interfere with the regular use of PAP device. Instruction and information can initially improve the adherence rate as well as the patient expectation for good outcomes, being conscious of his susceptibility to the illness consequences of untreated OSAS. Comorbidity factors in OSAS are well known and most significant studies clearly show the association between OSAS and hypoxia of the brain and the heart, sleep fragmentation, an increased risk of hypertension, stroke, diabetes and different degrees of cognitive impairment.