Abstract
Objectives:
Determine the prevalence of high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in general Thai population by using the STOP-Bang questionnaire.
Methods:
Anonymous survey was conducted in Thailand at Health and Wellness exhibition. The exclusion criterion was age <18 years. The STOP-Bang questionnaire was used in the survey. This questionnaire consisted of 4 simple yes/no questions: snoring, tiredness, observed apneas, blood pressure, and 4 clinical characteristics which were dichotomized according to specified cutoffs; body mass index >35, age >50 years, neck circumference >40 cm, sex = male. Scores of at least 3 were considered high risk for OSA. Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) as well as detailed demographic information related to several aspects of sleep was also obtained.
Results:
The study included 414 Thai adults. The mean age of participants was 51 years old. Of the 414 participants, 305 participants (76%) were classified as high risk for OSA. High risk for OSA group was observed to have more males (88%). The STOP-Bang yielded a mean score of 3.65. One hundred seventy-two participants (41%) were noted to have excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS score >10). There was a significant correlation between STOP-Bang questionnaire score and Epworth sleepiness scale score (P < .05, r = 0.267).
Conclusions:
Over 70% of participants were identified as having high risk for OSA based on the STOP-Bang questionnaire. Considering the serious adverse health and quality of life consequences of OSA, screening for OSA in general populations should be attempted.
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