Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:58:39.469Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessment of predictive ability of Epworth scoring in screening of patients with sleep apnoea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2011

A Sil*
Affiliation:
Department of ENT, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, UK
G Barr
Affiliation:
Department of ENT, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr A Sil, Department of ENT, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, Scotland ML6 0JS, UK Fax: +44 (0) 1236 760015 E-mail: silstat@gmail.com

Abstract

Method:

Numerous studies have considered the benefits, and the disadvantages, of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Following an extensive literature review, we found that the evidence was inconclusive as regards the diagnostic efficacy of Epworth scoring for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. We undertook a retrospective study of 343 patients who underwent a sleep assessment over a 10-year period at the Monklands Hospital.

Analysis and results:

A total of 238 patients did not have sleep apnoea whereas 105 patients did. The mean Epworth score in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome was 10.94 (95 per cent confidence interval 9.46–11.42), and in the non-apnoeic group it was 7.73 (95 per cent confidence interval 7.04–8.41). Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the predictive ability of Epworth scoring. The scores only explained 7–10 per cent of the variation in the probability of occurrence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. The odds ratio for Epworth scoring was 1.118, and only 69 per cent of cases were correctly classified by the Scale.

Conclusions:

The literature review suggested that the Epworth Sleepiness Scale is associated with a low effect size and/or low predictive value when correlated or regressed on the Apnoea–Hypopnoea Index or Respiratory Disturbance Index, thus limiting its value as a screening test. Our study concluded that the Epworth Scale is only marginally useful in predicting the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. We believe that every patient with a direct or witnessed history of sleep apnoea with obstructive symptoms have some form of sleep assessment.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented at the Evening Meeting of the West of Scotland Laryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Collaborative Group, 14 May 2009, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

References

1Johns, MW. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep 1991;14:540–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Gottlieb, DJ, Yao, Q, Redline, S, Ali, T, Mahowald, MW. Does snoring predict sleepiness independently of apnea and hypopnea frequency? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000;162:1512–17CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Herzog, M, Kühnel, T, Bremert, T, Herzog, B, Hosemann, W, Kaftan, H. The upper airway in sleep-disordered breathing: a clinical prediction model. Laryngoscope 2009;119:765–73CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Kumar, P, Bhatia, VG, Tripathi, M, Srivastava, M, Jain, AK. Obstructive sleep apnoea: a case-control study. Neurol India 2003;51:497–9Google Scholar
5Montoya, FS, Bedialauneta, JR, Larracochechea, UA, Ibarguen, AM, Del Rey, AS, Fernandez, JMS. The predictive value of clinical and epidemiological parameters in the identification of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA): a clinical prediction algorithm in the evaluation of OSA. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2007;264:637–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Ibrahim, AS, Almohammed, AA, Allangawi, MH, A Sattar, HA, Mobayed, HS, Pannerselvam, B et al. Predictors of obstructive sleep apnoea in snorers. Ann Saudi Med 2007;27:421–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Olson, L, Cole, M, Ambrogetti, A. Correlations among Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, multiple sleep latency tests and psychological symptoms. J Sleep Res 1998;7:248–53CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Chervin, RD, Aldrich, MS. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale may not reflect objective measures of sleepiness or sleep apnoea. Neurology 1999;51:125–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Rosenthal, LD, Dolan, DC. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale in identification of obstructive sleep apnoea. J Nerv Ment Dis 2008;196:429–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Smith, SS, Oei, TP, Douglas, JA, Brown, I, Jorgensen, G, Andrews, J. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Sleep Med 2008;9:739–44CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Fong, SYY, Ho, CKW, Wing, YK. Comparing MSLT and ESS in the measurement of excessive daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. J Psychosom Res 2005;58:5560CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Kingshott, R, Douglas, N, Dreary, I. Mokken scaling of Epworth sleepiness scale items in patients with sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome. J Sleep Res 1998;7:293–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Kingshott, RN, Sime, PJ, Engleman, HM, Douglas, NJ. Self assessment of daytime sleepiness, patient vs partner. Thorax 1995;50:994–5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Osman, EZ, Osborne, J, Hill, PD, Lee, BW. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale: can it be used for sleep apnoea screening among snorers? Clin Otolaryngol 1999;24:239–41CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Chung, KF. Use of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and normal hospital employees. J Psychosom Res 2000;49:267372CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Thong, JF, Pang, KP. Clinical parameters in obstructive sleep apnoea: are there any correlations? J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2008;37:894900Google ScholarPubMed
17Sauter, C, Asenbaum, S, Popovic, R, Bauer, H, Lamm, C, Klosch, G et al. Excessive daytime sleepiness in patients suffering from different levels of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. J Sleep Res 2000;9:293301CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edn.Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1988Google Scholar
19Netzer, N, Eliasson, AH, Netzer, C, Kristo, DA. Overnight pulse oximetry for sleep-disordered breathing in adults. Chest 2001;120:625–33CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Woodhead, CJ, Davies, JE, Allen, MB. Obstructive sleep apnoea in adults presenting with snoring. Clin Otolaryngol 1991;16:401–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Lacasse, Y, Godbout, C, Sériés, F. Independent validation of the Sleep Apnoea Quality of Life Index. Thorax 2002;57:483–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Nguyen, AT, Baltzan, MA, Small, D, Wolkove, N, Guillon, S, Palayew, M. Clinical reproducibility of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. J Clin Sleep Med 2006;2:170–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23McNeil, BJ, Hanley, JA. Statistical approaches to the analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Med Decis Making 1984;4:137–50CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Mediano, O, Barcelo, A, de la Pena, M, Gozal, D, Agusti, A, Barbe, F. Daytime sleepiness and polysomnographic variables in sleep apnoea patients. Eur Respir J 2007;30:110–13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25Mackay, TW. Sleep apnoea diagnosis and treatment. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2008;38:32–4Google Scholar
26Leng, PH, Mosharraf-Hossain, AK, Chan, YH, Tan, WC. The clinical predictors of hypertension and sleepiness in an Asian population with sleep-disordered breathing. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2006;35:610CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Banks, S, Barnes, M, Tarquinio, N, Pierce, R, Lack, J, Leon, C et al. Factors associated with maintenance of wakefulness test mean sleep latency in patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea and normal subjects. J Sleep Res 2004;13:71–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Resta, O, Carratu, P, Carpagnano, GE, Maniscalco, M, Di Gioia, G, Lacedonia, D et al. Influence of subclinical hypothyroidism and T4 treatment on the prevalence and severity of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). J Endocrinol Invest 2005;28:893–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29Kessler, R, Rodenstein, DO. Daytime somnolence. Basic concepts, assessment tools and clinical applications. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2001;56:400–12Google ScholarPubMed
30Beiske, KK, Kjelsberg, FN, Ruud, EA, Stavem, K. Reliability and validity of a Norwegian version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep Breath 2009;13:6572CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Lim, PV, Curry, AR. The role of history, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score and body mass index in identifying non apnoeic snorers. Clin Otolaryngol 2000;25:244–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32West, B, Bennett, JA, Deegan, PC, Merry, P, Watson, L, Jones, NS et al. Reducing waiting times for sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome and snoring using a questionnaire and home oximetry: results of a second audit cycle. J Laryngol Otol 2001;115:645–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed