Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Sep 30;94(3):487-496.
eCollection 2021 Sep.

Gender Issues in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Jacqueline H Geer  1 , Janet Hilbert  1
Affiliations
Review

Gender Issues in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Jacqueline H Geer et al. Yale J Biol Med. .

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea has historically been considered a male disease. Although most studies have shown male predominance, obstructive sleep apnea is highly prevalent in women, increasing with age and varying with physiologic status among other factors. Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with significant symptoms and health consequences in women yet remains underdiagnosed in women in part due to differences in presenting symptoms, differences in polysomnographic findings, and/or sociocultural factors. This review will discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, focusing on sex and gender differences.

Keywords: gender; obstructive sleep apnea; polysomnography; sex characteristics; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathogenesis and Potential Consequences of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Abbreviations: CNS = central nervous system, OSA = obstructive sleep apnea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Female-Specific Obstructive Sleep Apnea Characteristics. Abbreviations: AHI = apnea-hypopnea index, REM = rapid eye movement, OSA = obstructive sleep apnea.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Berry RB, Quan SF, Abreu AR, Bibbs ML, DelRosso L, Harding SM, et al. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications. Version. 2.6 ed.Darien (IL): American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2020.
    1. Young T, Peppard PE, Gottlieb DJ. Epidemiology of obstructive sleep apnea: a population health perspective. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002May;165(9):1217–39. 10.1164/rccm.2109080 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Peppard PE, Young T, Palta M, Skatrud J. Prospective study of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension. N Engl J Med. 2000May;342(19):1378–84. 10.1056/NEJM200005113421901 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yaggi HK, Concato J, Kernan WN, Lichtman JH, Brass LM, Mohsenin V. Obstructive sleep apnea as a risk factor for stroke and death. N Engl J Med. 2005November;353(19):2034–41. 10.1056/NEJMoa043104 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alonderis A, Barbé F, Bonsignore M, Calverley P, De Backer W, Diefenbach K, et al. COST Action B-26. Medico-legal implications of sleep apnoea syndrome: driving license regulations in Europe. Sleep Med. 2008May;9(4):362–75. 10.1016/j.sleep.2007.05.008 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources