The usefulness of observed apnea item in obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis: results from the 2019-2020 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Background: The STOP-Bang questionnaire is used for screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, there are limitations in performing all 8 items of STOP-Bang in an outpatient setting. We elucidated the usefulness of the observed apnea item within STOP-Bang questionnaire in South Korea. Methods: The STOP-Bang questionnaire was analyzed from 8,213 of the 15,469 participants in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2019-2020. We used multiple logistic regression to identify the risk of OSA from the 8 items of the STOP-Bang questionnaire. The baseline characteristics of the participants were analyzed based on the presence of observed apnea. The risk of comorbidities according to the presence of observed apnea was analyzed using binary logistic regression after adjusting for age and gender.Results: A total of 8094 participants, observed apnea was detected in 720 (8.9%). Only the observed apnea of the STOP-Bang questionnaire was related to the diagnosis of OSA [Odds Ratio (OR) 31.694 (P<0.001)]. Participants with observed apnea had an increased risk of OSA diagnosis [OR 38.826 (P<0.001)]. Participants with observed apnea also had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic rhinitis, and otitis media (P<0.05).Conclusions: The observed apnea item within the STOP-Bang questionnaire is useful for screening and diagnosing OSA in South Korea. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the prevalence of various comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, increased in the group with observed apnea.