0458 ANTHROPOMETRIC DIFFERENCES IN OSA ACROSS FOUR ETHNIC GROUPS IN OSA ACROSS FOUR ETHNIC GROUPS

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder with similar prevalence in different ethnic populations. Obesity is a major risk factor for OSA; however, the impact of obesity on OSA severity may vary with ethnicity due to differential disease etiology. We hypothesized that the association between Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and anthropometric measures of obesity will vary in strength between four ethnicities. Anthropometry (BMI, neck circumference) and AHI data were collected by clinical sleep centers within the Sleep Apnea Global Interdisciplinary Consortium (SAGIC). Data from 2966 subjects on 5 continents were collected and divided into four ethnic groups: Caucasian, African-American, South American, and Asian. The relationship between AHI and anthropometry was examined within each ethnicity by Spearman’s rank correlation and between ethnic groups using beta coefficients and interaction tests. AHI correlated with BMI (p &lt 0.0001) in all ethnicities (Caucasian: r=0.37, N=1325; African-American: r=0.25, N=330; Asian: r=0.41, N=265; South-American: r=0.47, N=769). While increased BMI was related to increased AHI, ethnicity influenced the strength of association (p &lt 0.0001). Asians were most susceptible, with each unit increase in BMI reflecting an expected 2.7 [2.1–3.3] (β[95% CI]) events/hour AHI increase. Impact of BMI was similar for Caucasians (1.2 [1.1–1.4]) and South Americans (1.5 [1.3–1.7]) with African-Americans showing only 0.8 [0.4–1.1] events/hour AHI change per BMI unit increase. Asians also showed the largest increase in AHI (3.5 [2.8–4.2]) per unit increase of neck circumference compared to African-Americans (2.3 [1.3–3.4]), Caucasians (1.9[1.7–2.2]), and South Americans (2.0 [1.7–2.3]). Higher obesity relates to more severe OSA in the 4 ethnic groups studied, but ethnicity modifies the strength of this relationship. Asians had the strongest relationship between obesity and AHI, indicating weight gain in this population will contribute more to OSA severity than in other ethnicities. Overall obesity had less impact in African-Americans; fat deposition around the neck may be more relevant in this population. N/A.