title: Snoring & sleep apnea: a population study in Italian women.
abstract: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing by means of a validated portable instrument (MESAM IV) and to investigate the relationship between snoring and sleep apnea in a sample of Italian middle-aged female population. We randomly chose 750 subjects aged 40 to 65 years and 365 agreed to participate to the study. In this group, 19.7% of subjects were every-night snorers according to the questionnaire; when recorded, 54.2% snored for more than 10% of the night, and 7.1% for more than 50% of the night. Sleep apnea was also common: 10.7% of subjects had a respiratory disturbances per hour (RDI) between 5 and 9, 7.7% an RDI between 10 and 19, and 2.2% had an RDI > or =20. Snoring percentage and RDI were significantly correlated. However, 50% of subjects who snored for more than half the night had no evidence of sleep apnea. Snoring amount >50% resulted influenced by body mass index, while RDI>10 was influenced by neck diameter. We concluded that in middle-aged women, both snoring and sleep apnea are very common. A high percentage of snoring is not essential for the occurrence of sleep apnea, nor it necessarily indicates the presence of sleep apnea.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Center, State University and IRCCS H San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. FERINISTRAMBI.LUIGI@HSR.IT
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferini-Strambi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zucconi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castronovo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garancini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oldani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smirne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires