Washington, April 22 (IANS) Partial or complete blockage of nasal passage causes snoring, fragmented sleep and daytime fatigue. Those who went in for surgery to clear such obstructions not only experienced relief from the condition described as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but also felt much better, said a study. Hsueh-Yu Li of the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Taiwan) and colleagues assessed 51 consecutive patients with OSA (50 men and one woman, aged 39 years) who had undergone nasal surgery as initial treatment.

Patients completed questionnaires assessing their symptoms, sleepiness, snoring and overall quality of life before and three months after the procedure.

Following surgery, symptoms of nasal obstruction improved significantly, and marked improvement was apparent on scales measuring snoring and sleepiness. A slight improvement also was seen in overall health status.

“These results suggest that when nasal obstruction in OSA patients was relieved, their generic health improved and that the effects were especially remarkable in reducing limitations caused by physical or emotional problems.”

“Our findings substantiate the role of nasal surgery in treating nasal obstruction among OSA patients,” the researchers conclude.

The report has appeared in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, a JAMA journal.