Obstructive sleep apnoea: A case-control study

• Published in: Neurology India Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 497 - 499
• Main Author: Pradeep Kumar VG, Bhatia M, Tripathi M, Srivastava AK, Jain S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications on behalf of the Neurological Society of India 01-12-2003
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep disorder, Obstructive sleep apnoea, Epworth sleepiness scale; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0028-3886

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), is characterized by loud
snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. Though the gold standard for
diagnosis is overnight polysomnography (PSG), sleep questionnaires have
also been used to diagnose this with good predictive value. Material
and Methods: A pre-designed proforma with clinical details,
symptom-specific questions for diagnosis of OSA, and Epworth Sleepiness
Scale (ESS) was administered to 20 patients presenting to the Sleep
Disorder Clinic of our hospital and to 40 age and sex-matched relatives
(control group). The students 't-test' and chi-square were used as the
statistical tests. Results: There were 20 patients with a mean age of
41± 8 years, and 40 controls with a mean age of 41 ± 6 years
(P=>0.05). Seven had family history of snoring in the study group
and 3 in the control group (P=0.02). Four had met with road traffic
accidents in the study group and none in the control group (P=0.001).
The body mass index (BMI) was 29.9 (SD 4.4) in the study group and 24.5
(SD3.5) in the controls (P=0.001). The mean ESS was 13.3 ± 6 in
the patients and 4.2+ 4 in the controls (P=0.001). A larger number of
patients with OSA had hypertension: 5/20 vs. 3/40 (P=0.01). Conclusion:
Patients with OSA had significantly higher BMI and ESS score, and were
more likely to have hypertension and road traffic accidents. Increased
awareness of this entity is essential.