Depressive symptoms after surgical and medical management of OSA: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2025

Depression After OSA Treatment: CPAP vs Surgery

Sample size: 3488 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Alejandro R. Marrero-Gonzalez, Craig D. Salvador, Shaun A. Nguyen, Ted A. Meyer, Dee W. Ford, Andreas M. Rinn, Chitra Lal, Melissa Swanson, Mohamed Abdelwahab

Primary Institution: Medical University of South Carolina

Hypothesis

Surgery may have similar effects on polysomnographic data and depression scores as CPAP.

Conclusion

Both CPAP and surgical interventions for OSA lead to significant improvements in depression scores, with no significant difference between the two treatments.

Supporting Evidence

Both CPAP and surgical treatments significantly improved the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).
Depression scores improved comparably in both treatment groups.
Surgical interventions showed a higher percent reduction in depression scores, but it was not statistically significant.
The study included 14 studies with a total of 3488 patients.
Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in AHI reduction between CPAP and surgery.
Most surgical interventions suggested an improvement in depression scores.

Takeaway

This study shows that both CPAP and surgery can help people with sleep apnea feel less depressed, and they work about the same.

Methodology

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing CPAP and surgical interventions for OSA, analyzing pre- and post-treatment depression scores.