The financial crisis has an impact in sleep medicine: experience of a sleep clinic in Greece.

Objective: Greece has entered a long period of economic crisis with adverse effects in daily life. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the economic crisis on the population visiting a sleep clinic between years 2008 and 2011.

Methods: Comparison of the number of patients, anthropometric data, symptoms, and treatment between 2008 (beginning of crisis) to 2011(great impact of crisis) was conducted.

Results: The number of patients significantly reduced in 2011(n = 127) compared with that in 2008 (n = 463) and 2009 (n = 465). The mean age, body mass index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale did not differ between the years (52.2 ± 13.7 years, 33 ± 7.4 kg/m(2), and 11.4 ± 5.4, respectively). The main symptom of the patients was daytime sleepiness, and the symptoms that worsened in 2011 compared with 2008 were headaches (32.4 vs. 49.6 %, p < 0.001) and nightmares (44 vs. 75.9 %, p < 0.001). In 2008, 69.1 % of patients required treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and 81.6 % of them received CPAP. In 2011, 67.7 % required treatment, but only 52.3 % received CPAP.

Conclusions: The economic crisis can be reflected in the number of patients, their symptoms and their treatment options.