Abstract
Most Asian countries have limited resources for polysomnography. Risk factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in Asian populations may be different from the Western countries. Knowing the physical risk factors for OSA may be a helpful tool for clinicians to select suitable patients to be tested for OSA. We enrolled consecutive OSAsuspected patients between October 1st, 2006 and September 30th, 2007. Physical factors including Body Mass Index (BMI), Neck Circumference (NC), and Waist Circumference (WC) were recorded. The correlations of BMI, NC, WC and Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) were executed. Various cut points of BMI, NC, and WC were calculated for sensitivity and specificity of severity of OSA. During the study period, there were 66 patients enrolled. All three parameters (BMI, NC, and WC) were significantly correlated with AHI. The highest correlation index was between BMI and AHI (0.604), whereas the correlation index of AHI-WC and AHI-NC were 0.571 and 0.440, respectively. Only BMI and WC, but not NC, were significantly related to severity of OSA. The BMI of more than 25 kg/m2 had the highest sensitivity (93.8%) for severe OSA, whereas WC more than 101.8 cm had the highest specificity (92%). In conclusion, BMI, WC, and NC are correlated with AHI in OSA suspected Thai patients. BMI and WC, but not NC, were associated with severity of OSA. In resource-limited facilities, these parameters may be helpful for clinicians to evaluate the risk of OSA more appropriately.
Highlights
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is defined as Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) more than 5 times/hour by polysomnography
We evaluated the correlation of various physical factors and OSA in Thai patients that would be clinically helpful for selecting patients to perform polysomnography in a resource-limited setting
Various cut points of Body Mass Index (BMI), Neck Circumference (NC), and Waist Circumference (WC) were calculated for sensitivity and specificity of severity of OSA
Summary
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is defined as Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) more than 5 times/hour by polysomnography. The prevalence of OSA is 4% in males and 2% in females of general population [1,2,3] It is a strong risk factor for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke [4,5,6]. Common risk factors of OSA include older age, male gender, obesity, craniofacial anomalies, and particular diseases such as hypothyroidism. Among those risk factors, obesity is the major risk factor in the Western countries. The sensitivity and specificity of this cut point are 67% and 83%, respectively [3] Data for these physical factors and OSA is still limited in Southeast Asian populations. We evaluated the correlation of various physical factors and OSA in Thai patients that would be clinically helpful for selecting patients to perform polysomnography in a resource-limited setting
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have