Abstract P246: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Particulate Matter Exposure

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have found a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among responders of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) causing upper airway inflammation is considered a significant contributing factor in the pathogenesis of OSA. The Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) is a widely used questionnaire to screen for OSA with published sensitivity up to 86% and specificity of 87% for OSA risk. We aim to investigate whether a relationship exists between OSA risk using the BQ and exposure to PM using the Wisnevsky exposure score. Methodology: We evaluated 808 participants in the WTC-CHEST Program from January 2011 to September 2013. High risk for OSA was identified as 2 or more positive categories in the BQ. The subjects were categorized into four exposure groups: very high, high, intermediate and low (Wisnevsky exposure score). Chi-square and Binary Logistic Regression analyses were performed to determine if there was a significant relationship between OSA risk and PM exposure. Results: High risk for OSA is associated with PM exposure in the study population (p=0.002). Using a binary logistic regression adjusting for gender and age, high risk for OSA was still found to be significantly associated with PM exposure (p = 0.022). Conclusion: Prior investigations have demonstrated a link between PM exposure and pulmonary disease, digestive disorders and PTSD. These results provide strong evidence for the association of PM exposure and OSA. In fact, PM exposure in this cohort of WTC first responders is one of the most significant contributors to increased OSA risk. Assessment of both OSA risk and exposure to PM are important as both have been linked to an increase in cardiovascular risk.