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
. 2022 Jan-Feb;39(1):38-43.
doi: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_64_21.

Proportion of rapid eye movement sleep related obstructive sleep apnea (REM related OSA) in patients with sleep disordered breathing: A cross sectional study

Sharada C Nair  1 , Padmanabhan Arjun  1 , Ameer Kavarathukudy Azeez  1 , Sanjeev Nair  2
Affiliations

Proportion of rapid eye movement sleep related obstructive sleep apnea (REM related OSA) in patients with sleep disordered breathing: A cross sectional study

Sharada C Nair et al. Lung India. 2022 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep is gaining importance in recent years. This study was done to determine the proportion of REM-related OSA and its associated polysomnographic features.

Methods: One hundred forty-two patients were included in the study. REM-related OSA was defined based on previously established broad and strict criteria (REM apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]/non-REM [NREM] AHI ratio ≥2 and REM AHI >5 with NREM AHI <5, respectively), and its association with polysomnographic features was studied using appropriate statistical tools.

Results: The proportion of REM-related OSA in the study was 56.3% and 25.3% as per broad and strict criterion, respectively. The REM-related OSA group had a mean younger age (47.4 ± 13.2 years) as compared to NREM-related OSA group (52.6 ± 15.8 years). Females (34 out of 45; 75.6%) were more likely to have REM-related OSA as compared to males (46 out of 107; 47.4%). Supine AHI, arousal index, oxygen desaturation index, length of the longest event, and the lowest oxygen saturation recorded during sleep had a significant association with REM-related OSA. 74% of patients with overall AHI <5 and 87% patients with overall AHI 5 to 15 satisfied the criteria for REM-related OSA as per broad criterion.

Conclusion: REM-related OSA was quite prevalent in the study population (56.3%) and was more common in the mild and moderate severity subgroups of OSA.

Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea; polysomnography; rapid eye movement sleep; sleep apnea syndromes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of patients with rapid eye movement-related obstructive sleep apnea (as per broad criterion) in each severity subgroup of overall apnea–hypopnea index
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of rapid eye movement apnea–hypopnea index in each severity subgroup of overall apnea–hypopnea index
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of rapid eye movement apnea–hypopnea index in each severity subgroup of nonrapid eye movement apnea–hypopnea index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Iber C. Sleep-related breathing disorders. Neurol Clin. 2005;23:1045–57. - PubMed
    1. Guilleminault C, Tilkian A, Dement WC. The sleep apnea syndromes. Annu Rev Med. 1976;27:465–84. - PubMed
    1. Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, Kuhlmann DC, Mehra R, Ramar K, et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: An American Acjb zzjademy of sleep medicine clinical practice guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13:479–504. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guilleminault C. Obstructive sleep apnea. The clinical syndrome and historical perspective. Med Clin North Am. 1985;69:1187–203. - PubMed
    1. Mokhlesi B, Punjabi NM. “REM-related”obstructive sleep apnea: An epiphenomenon or a clinically important entity? Sleep. 2012;35:5–7. - PMC - PubMed