Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Difficult to Treat Asthma

Background: Bronchial Asthma(BA) is quite a common chronic ailment affecting more than 334 million people worldwide. Many patients have poorly controlled asthma despite adequate treatment. Many factors are known to influence asthma control. Previously, various authors reveal the association between Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) and BA regarding risk and popularity. The essential point of this examination was to research the occurrence of OSA in patients with difficult-to-treat asthma (DTA). Objective: Our objective was to determine the frequency of OSA in difficult to treat asthma patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: The study was conducted in the Department of Pulmonology, District Head Quarter (DHQ) Hospital, Faisalabad Pakistan. Duration: The time duration was 6 months starting from July 2018 to December 2018. Methods: 73 patients fulfilling the selection criteria were enrolled in the study from the Department of Pulmonology, DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad. Information regarding their demographic data was noted in the proforma. The frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in difficult-to-treat asthma was noted. Results: Mean age was 39.44+7.62 years, males were 43.8%(n=32) whereas female were 56.2% (n=41). Frequency of OSA in patients with difficult to treat asthma in our study was recorded in 56.16% (n=41) of the cases. Conclusion: We concluded that the frequency of OSA in difficult to treat asthmatic cases is very high. However, identification of this condition is important to reduce the cost of morbidity and quality of life, early and effective management.