Gender differences in sleep disordered breathing

Abstract

Women are often underrepresented at sleep clinics evaluating sleep disordered breathing (SDB). It has been speculated whether this is due to a different symptom profile in women. The aim of the present cohort study was to analyze gender differences in diagnosis and treatment of SDB in men and women with similar symptoms of SDB. Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) provided questionnaire information about snoring, daytime sleepiness (EDS), BMI, somatic diseases at baseline (1999-2001) and follow-up (2010-2012) from 5,148 men and 6,113 women aged 30-55 years at baseline. At follow-up participants were furthermore directly asked whether they had the diagnosis of SDB and about treatment for SDB. Symptoms of SDB (= combination of snoring and EDS) was reported by 7.4% of the men and by 4.4% of the women at baseline. In both genders SDB symptoms increased the risk of developing hypertension (1.45, 95% CI 1.17-1.80) and diabetes (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.12-2.38) during the follow-up period after adjusting for age, BMI and weight gain. Among those with symptoms of SDB at baseline, more men than women had got the diagnosis of SDB (Men 25%, Women 14%, p Independent predictors of having treatment for SDB at follow-up were age, BMI, SDB symptoms at baseline and weight gain during the follow-up period while female gender was related to a lower chance of receiving any treatment (adj OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.3-0.5). Conclusion: Despite similar symptoms with similar negative impact on hypertension and diabetes risk, women are less often diagnosed or treated for SDB.