How common is Sleep Apnea?
The Wisconsin Sleep
Cohort Study looked to answer this question. It assessed 602 men and women aged
30-60 years old with an overnight sleep study (polysomnography). These people did not necessarily
have symptoms of sleep apnea.
It measured how often these people had sleep apnea events and how
often people were considered to have symptomatic sleep apnea.
The Wisconsin Study
found that:
·
9% of women
and 24% of men had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5/hr (at least mild
sleep apnea by sleep study), while
·
4% of women
and 9.1% of men had an AHI ≥15/hr (at least moderate sleep
apnea).
·
It was estimated
that 2% of women and 4% of men had symptomatic sleep apnea (as defined by
being excessively sleepy during the day and having 5 or more sleep apnea
events per hour).
The Sleep Heart Health
Study is a study designed to look at the relationship of sleep disordered
breathing and heart disease. In
this study, 886 men and 938 women underwent at-home sleep studies. The number of sleep apnea events was
measured using the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) (defined in this
study as the number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep).
·
51% had a
RDI ≥ 5/hr
·
22% had a
RDI ≥ 15/hr
Overall, sleep apnea
is a common disorder. More
people meet sleep study criteria for a significant number of sleep apnea
events than have symptomatic sleep apnea.
REFERENCES:
The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged
adults. Young T, Palta M,
Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S. N Engl J
Med. 1993 Apr 29;328(17):1230-5.
Relation of sleepiness
to respiratory disturbance index: the Sleep Heart Health Study. Gottlieb DJ, Whitney CW, Bonekat WH, Iber C, James GD,
Lebowitz M, Nieto FJ, Rosenberg CE.
Am J Respir
Crit Care Med. 1999 Feb;159(2):502-7.
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