Obstructive Sleep Apnea Related Symptom Prevalence in Patients with Headache Presented to Neurology Outpatient Clinic: Results of a Preliminary Study*

Abstract

Approximately 20% of patients with sleep apnea will have headaches and 25% of patients with other sleep disorders will also experience headaches. We aim to evaluate sleep apnea related symptom prevalence in patient with headache presenting to neurology outpatient clinics. Twenty four patients with headache were asked for sleep apnea symptoms. The prevalence of snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness and witnessed apnea was 33.3%, 20.8% and 4.2%, respectively. Among sleep apnea symptoms, the presence of at least one symptom, at least two symptoms and all three symptoms were 9 (37.5%), 4 (16.7%) and 1 (4.2%), respectively. The frequency of major symptoms of sleep apnea syndrome was high in patient with nonspecific headache. In the light of literature review, in case of a suspicion of sleep disorder in a headache patient, it would be appropriate to question the major symptoms of OSAS, and to refer the patient to a polysomnographic evaluation for an objective diagnosis. This approach would be helpful to improve the quality of life of patients with headache.