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. 2017 Apr-Jun;12(2):88-94.
doi: 10.4103/1817-1737.203746.

Prevalence and risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in a Saudi Arabian population

Siraj Omar Wali  1 , Bahaa Abalkhail  2 , Ayman Krayem  3
Affiliations

Prevalence and risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in a Saudi Arabian population

Siraj Omar Wali et al. Ann Thorac Med. 2017 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder worldwide; however, epidemiological studies on its prevalence lack in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of OSA in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The study was performed from 2013 to 2015 in two stages. The screening stage was first; a random sample of Saudi employees (n = 2682) 30-60 years of age completed a survey that included the Wisconsin questionnaire. According to these data, the subjects were categorized as habitual, moderate, or nonsnorers (NSs). The confirmatory second stage was a case-control study conducted on 346 individuals selected from each group using polysomnography (PSG).

Results: In the first stage, the prevalence of habitual snoring was 23.5%, moderate snoring was16.6%, while 59.9% of the sample was NSs. Among the 346 individuals who underwent PSG, a total of 235 (67.9%) subjects had OSA with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of ≥5; 76 (22.0%) had OSA syndrome (OSAS), defined by an AHI of ≥5 plus daytime sleepiness; and 227 (65.6%) had clinically diagnosed OSA syndrome (COSAS), as defined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. A conservative estimate of at least 8.8% (12.8% in men and 5.1% in women) was calculated for the overall prevalence of OSA. Similarly, the overall estimated prevalence of OSAS and COSAS was 2.8% (4.0% in men and 1.8% in women) and 8.5% (12.4% in men and 4.8% in women), respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed age, gender, obesity, and hypertension as independent risk factors of OSA.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the rate and risk factors of OSA in the Saudi population are similar to those observed in Western studies.

Keywords: Daytime sleepiness; obstructive sleep apnea; prevalence; risk factors; syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A descriptive flowchart of the screened population. OSA: AHI ≥5. OSAS: AHI ≥5 with EDS. COSAS: AHI ≥5 and any symptoms based on AASM criteria. EDS = Excessive daytime sleepiness, OSA = Obstructive sleep apnea, AHI = Apnea-hypopnea index, OSAS = Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, COSAS = Clinically diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, AASM = American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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