Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome among a snoring community.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relation between snoring and the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in terms of relevant health parameters and questionnaire responses.


METHODS
Selective random sampling within a household survey in the cities of Al-Khobar and Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over a 3 month period during the year 2000, was carried out. One hundred and fifty-two persons, aged 17-62 years, with a positive history of snoring as determined by the spouse or other members of the family were selected.


RESULTS
The presence of OSA was determined using the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). The predictors included age, gender and body mass index. Snoring was found to be more associated with OSA as suggested by ESS in the study sample. The severity of snoring and its pattern are more associated with apneic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Snoring is common and may be a serious medical problem. This study revealed that snoring is associated with symptoms suggesting OSA syndrome as detected by ESS. The family doctor and his team should be aware of the condition, using simple screening test such as ESS, improves the patient care, and finding of suspected cases.
Al-Rubaish
Abdullah M
AM
Department of Internal Medicine, King Fahd Hospital of the University, PO Box 40085, Al-Khobar 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. arubaish@hotmail.com
Mangoud
Abdullah M
AM
Abumadini
Mahdi S
MS
Bahnassy
Ahmed A
AA
Al-Muhanna
Fahd A
FA
Al-Nwasser
Abdulaziz A
AA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires