Opium Versus Methadone Effects on Polysomnographic Characteristics of Patients With Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Background There are studies about polysomnographic (PSG) characteristics of patients with either Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) or addiction. We aimed to investigate the PSG characteristics of OHS patients with opium addiction (OA) and those on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for treatment of addiction. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 75 patients with OHS in Bamdad Respiratory and Sleep Research Center affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences between January 2020 and February 2021. The patients were categorized in three groups: OA, MMT, and non-addicts (NA). Demographic and PSG characteristics and obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaires (Epworth Sleepiness scale, Berlin, and STOP-Bang) of patients were recorded and analyzed by SPSS v.24. Results A total of 75 OHS patients [54 men (72%) and 21 women (28%)] were studied in three groups of OA (30), MMT (15), and NA (30). Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was not significantly different between three groups. The longest apnea duration was higher in OA than other groups (P:0.001). Central apnea index (P: 0.01), longest hypopnea duration(P:0.04), PaCO2(P:0.04) and time with SpO2˂90% (T90) (P: 0.009) were higher in MMT than other groups. Furthermore, the minimum SpO2was lower in MMT than others (P: 0.03). Conclusion The current study demonstrated that some of the sleep disturbances were worse in MMT than OA group. This suggests the need for further studies to compare the effects of opium and methadone on sleep in OHS patients.