Prevalence of sleep related symptoms in four Latin American cities.
OBJECTIVE
to estimate the prevalence of the most common sleep related symptoms (SRS) in the metropolitan areas of Mexico City, Montevideo (Uruguay), Santiago (Chile), and Caracas (Venezuela).


METHODS
The study consisted of a multistage cluster sampling of adults aged > or = 40 years living in metropolitan areas. All participants completed a questionnaire on sleep related symptoms. Simplified respiratory polygraphy during sleep was conducted on 188 subjects from Mexico City. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was defined as Epworth Sleepiness Scale score > or = 11 and respiratory disturbance index (RDI) > or = 15 events/h; a cut-off of 15 was chosen because of its high sensitivity and specificity in association with the portable monitor used in the study.


RESULTS
The study included 4,533 subjects (1,062 in Mexico City, 941 in Montevideo, 1,173 in Santiago, and 1,357 in Caracas). Snoring was reported by 60.2% (95% CI 58.8% to 61.6%), excessive daytime sleepiness by 16.4% (15.3% to 17.5%), observed apneas by 12.3% (11.4% to 13.3%), insomnia by 34.7% (33.3% to 36%), sedative use by 15.1% (14.1% to 16.2%), daytime napping by 29.2% (27.7% to 30.6%), and a combination of snoring, sleepiness, and observed apneas by 3.4% (2.9% to 4%). Men had a higher frequency of snoring and daytime napping, whereas women reported more insomnia and sedative use. Prevalence of OSAS varied from 2.9% among subjects who denied snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, and observed apneas, to 23.5% among those reporting these 3 symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
A high prevalence of sleep related symptoms and undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea in Latin America was observed.
Bouscoulet
Luis Torre
LT
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Tlalpan, México, DF.
Vázquez-García
Juan Carlos
JC
Muiño
Adriana
A
Márquez
Maria
M
López
Maria Victorina
MV
de Oca
Maria Montes
MM
Talamo
Carlos
C
Valdivia
Gonzalo
G
Pertuze
Julio
J
Menezes
Ana Maria B
AM
Pérez-Padilla
Rogelio
R
D000328:Adult; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology; D020919:Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology