title: Epidemiological characteristics and gender-specific differences of obstructive sleep apnea in a Chinese hypertensive population: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increase in the prevalence and incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Data about epidemiological characteristics of OSA in Chinese hypertensive populations is limited.
  
  
  
  Hypertensive subjects without a prior diagnosis of OSA were recruited, and the apnea-hyponea index (AHI) was assessed by polysomnography. Comparisons were performed between subjects without OSA and with different degrees of OSA. Gender-specific differences in epidemiological characteristics of OSA were also analyzed. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between OSA and other variables.
  
  
  
  A total of 971 hypertensive subjects were enrolled and 685 (70.5%) were diagnosed with OSA. Compared to those without OSA, subjects with OSA were more likely male (78.4% versus 71.7%, P = 0.016) and at higher cardiovascular risk in subjects with moderate-severe OSA. Among the 685 OSA subjects, 79.4% (537 cases) were males. Gender-specific differences in epidemiological characteristics of OSA were observed. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that after adjusting for covariates, only body mass index positively correlated with OSA in males (odds ratio (OR): 1.064, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.008-1.123, P = 0.024). In female subjects, after adjusting for covariates, only age positively correlated with OSA (OR: 1.071, 95% CI: 1.029-1.116, P = 0.001).
  
  
  
  In summary, in a Chinese hypertensive population, OSA prevalence is strikingly high. Hypertensive subjects with the most severe OSA are at greater cardiovascular risk. There are significant differences in epidemiological characteristics of OSA between male and female.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Anping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Yingling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China. lingwang2015@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D012119:Respiration; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012890:Sleep; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Epidemiology; Hypertension; Obstructive sleep apnea