title: Features of REM-related Sleep Disordered Breathing in the Japanese Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rapid eye movement (REM)-related sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is an entity in which the cessation or reduction of breathing occurs primarily during the REM period. Most studies have shown that REM-related SDB more frequently affects women, younger people and patients with mild or moderate SDB. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the prevalence and features of REM-related SDB in Japanese subjects compared with the findings of previous reports.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 468 patients were evaluated in this study. The diagnosis of SDB was established using polysomnographic monitoring. The patient variables included age, gender, body characteristics, comorbidities, etc.
  
  
  RESULTS
  REM-related SDB was more prevalent in women than non-REM-related SDB (male ratio; 66.3% vs. 79.5%, p=0.03). Moreover, the patients with REM-related SDB had lower body mass indexes (25.9 ± 6.9 vs. 28.5 ± 7.7; p=0.003), arousal indexes (31.8 ± 10.7 vs. 61.0 ± 29.1; p<0.001), apnea hypopnea indexes (15.0 ± 8.0 vs. 54.9 ± 35.9) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels (5.5 ± 0.9 vs. 5.9 ± 2.6; p=0.02) than the patients with non-REM-related SDB. However, the overall and female gender prevalence of REM-related SDB among the Japanese subjects was lower than that shown in previous reports. The finding that REM-related SDB was not prevalent in younger individuals or severely obese patients was not consistent with the results of previous studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings suggest that REM-related SDB may have different clinical characteristics in the Japanese population than that observed in previous reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respirology (B2), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakao
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Misuzu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yahaba
authors.forename: Yoriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tatsumi
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D020187:REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012895:Sleep, REM
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin