title: Bayes classification of snoring subjects with and without Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome, using a Kernel method.
abstract: The gold standard for diagnosing Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome (SAHS) is the Polysomnography (PSG), an expensive, labor-intensive and time-consuming procedure. It would be helpful to have a simple screening method that allowed to early determining the severity of a subject prior to his/her enrolment for a PSG. Several differences have been reported in the acoustic snoring characteristics between simple snorers and SAHS patients. Previous studies usually classify snoring subjects into two groups given a threshold of Apnea-Hypoapnea Index (AHI). Recently, Bayes multi-group classification with Gaussian Probability Density Function (PDF) has been proposed, using snore features in combination with apnea-related information. In this work we show that the Bayes classifier with Kernel PDF estimation outperforms the Gaussian approach and allows the classification of SAHS subjects according to their severity, using only the information obtained from snores. This could be the base of a single channel, snore-based, screening procedure for SAHS.
authors.affiliation: Dept. ESAII, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya and CIBERde Bioengenieria, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, BaldiriReixac, 4, Torre I, 9 floor, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. jordi.sola@upc.edu
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solà-Soler
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fiz
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morera
authors.forename: Raimon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jané
mesh_terms: D001314:Auscultation / Q000379:methods*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*