Polysomnographic diagnoses among former world trade center rescue workers and volunteers.
An increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been suggested for World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed workers. The authors reviewed the results from nocturnal polysomnograms (PSGs), to investigate diagnostic differences between WTC-exposed and -unexposed subjects. Six hundred fifty-six nocturnal PSGs performed at our sleep center were reviewed, 272 of them in former WTC workers. Seven diagnostic categories were compared between the 2 groups by bivariate and logistic regression analyses. The WTC group had a significantly higher predominance of the male gender, but slightly lower body mass index (BMI). There was no significant difference in the distribution of PSG diagnoses between the 2 groups in unadjusted (p = .56) or adjusted (p = .49) analyses. The authors did not identify a significant difference in PSG diagnoses between the WTC-exposed and -unexposed subjects. OSA was significantly associated with age, BMI, and gender in this patient population.
Department of Preventive Medicine and the Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Rafael E
RE
de la Hoz
Jorge M
JM
Mallea
Sasha J
SJ
Kramer
Laura A
LA
Bienenfeld
Juan P
JP
Wisnivesky
R Nisha
RN
Aurora
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060731:Emergency Responders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017286:Polysomnography; D012307:Risk Factors; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks; D012737:Sex Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*