Assessment of Cognitive Deficits in Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Paper-Based Tests and Choice Reaction Time in Indian Population

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disease characterized by intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation. Studies conducted previously to assess cognitive functions in OSA have shown variable results. OSA is one of the increasingly common disorders in India. OSA typically shows 'tip of iceberg' phenomenon, i.e. very few diagnosed cases even with high prevalence. Thus, in a country with one of the highest number of road traffic accidents and occupational accidents, it becomes even more important to assess all OSA patients for cognitive functions especially with choice reaction time which is a very good indicator of real life situations such as vehicular driving and demanding occupational task. Thus, we compared cognitive functions in 30 cases of OSA with 30 age, sex and education matched control using standardized paper based tests and choice reaction time. We found choice reaction time to be severely affected in OSA. Amongst various domains of cognition, attention and executive functions were significantly affected in OSA. Also, there was decline in psychomotor abilities and memory.