Predictors of obstructive sleep apnea in snorers.
BACKGROUND
Snoring is a commong problem that poses a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We studied the contribution of risk factors for OSA in snorers for full-night polysomnography (PSG).


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to subjects referred for PSG in the period from April 2002 to March 2005.


RESULTS
There were 191 (84%) snorers identified by 227 PSG studies. They had a mean age of 48.1+/-9.8 years, (age range, 23-73 years) and 78.5% were males. OSA as indicated by a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) of >5 events/hour was seen in 126 (66%) subjects. In males, 72.7% had OSA, with a mean RDI of 43.0+/-26 events/hour, versus 41.5% [corrected] with OSA in females with a mean RDI of 27.8+/-26.5 events/hour (P<0.001). The OSA group had a higher mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) (P<0.001), a larger mean neck circumference (P<0.01), an increased mean age (P<0.050), and more witnessed apneas (P<0.001) but not choking (P=0.096). The mean increase in body mass index was linked to OSA only in females (P<0.05) but not in the overall study (P=0.507). Multivariate analysis showed that ESS, male gender, and a history of witnessed apneas were associated with OSA, while controlling for obesity, large neck circumference, age, and history of choking.


CONCLUSIONS
In screening snorers for PSG, male gender, ESS and a history of witnessed apneas were the most important predictors of OSA, but other factors should be considered in referring snorers for PSG. In males, obesity did not contribute to the risk of OSA in our study population.
Department of Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. salam145@yahoo.com
Abdulsalam Saif
AS
Ibrahim
Ahmed Ali
AA
Almohammed
Mona Hassan
MH
Allangawi
Hisaham A Aleem
HA
A Sattar
Hassan Said
HS
Mobayed
Balamurugan
B
Pannerselvam
Mary V
MV
Philipose
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009333:Neck / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D017286:Polysomnography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires