Prevalence of sleep-related symptoms in a primary care population - their relation to asthma and COPD.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to clarify the association between obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS)-related symptoms and physician-diagnosed asthma and COPD.


METHODS
1501 subjects aged 19-90 years completed a structured questionnaire and underwent spirometry and respiratory physician assessment in 10 primary care centres.


RESULTS
Frequent snoring was reported in 45.6%, breathing pauses during sleep in 11.0%, and excessive daytime sleepiness in 6.7% of the sample. COPD patients were more likely to report frequent snoring (OR=1.34; 95% CI:1.04-1.71), breathing pauses (OR=1.46; 95% CI:1.01-2.10), and excessive daytime sleepiness (OR=2.04; 95% CI:1.33-3.14). In contrast, there was no significant association between asthma patients and OSAHS-related symptoms. Gender differences were recognised as well.


CONCLUSIONS
The increased likelihood for OSAHS-related symptoms in COPD patients, in contrast to patients with asthma, designates them as a target group for the screening of OSAHS in primary care.
Resident in Primary Health Care, University Hospital of Larissa, Greece.
Foteini
F
Karachaliou
Konstantinos
K
Kostikas
Chaido
C
Pastaka
Vassilios
V
Bagiatis
Konstantinos I
KI
Gourgoulianis
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000150:complications