Clinical features of obstructive sleep apnea in the elderly Chilean population.

Abstract

Introduction: The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be overlooked by some natural functional impairments of aging. Aims and objectives: Describe clinical features of OSA and assessment of different scales and questionnaires as screening tools in elderly Chilean population. Methods: Retrospective study of 1044 patients that underwent\xa0a Respiratory Polygraphy (RP) for OSA evaluation. Demographic, anthropometric, comorbidities and RP variables were taken in to account. Patients completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Thornton Snoring Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and a direct interview before the RP. Three groups were defined: 75 years. OSA was defined as an Apnea Hipoapnea Index (AHI)=5. Results: The elderly group\xa0had a higher AHI, central apnea index, CT90%, rate of insomnia, rate of depression and proportion of severe OSA. STOP-BANG had the best AUC for SAOS screening in all age groups ( 75 AUC 0,724; IC 0,467–0,981; p=0,078)\n Conclusions: Chilean elderly population in this study have a higher AHI, are more likely to have insomnia and depression, but reported no difference in daytime sleepiness comparing to the younger group. STOP-BANG is a useful tool for\xa0screening patients with OSA for all age groups.