Abstract â–¡ 176

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is prevalent in up to 4% of the adult population and is associated with high morbidity rates. Diagnosis of OSAS is made by nocturnal polyasomnography but this examination is very costly. Several investigators in passed few years have addressed the question of screening for OSAS by questionnaires and other clinical data with limited success.

Objectives: 1. Examination of referral patterns of patients for nocturnal polyasomnography, suspected of OSAS. 2. Comparison between clinical data and results of nocturnal polysomnography. 3. Assessment of two types of sleepiness scores (SS) and there prediction of OSAS.

Method: A total of 165 consecutive adults during 1995-1996 were referred to a sleep clinic for suspected OSAS. 102 of them had complete clinical data and SS on Epworth and Guilleminault SS. A control group consisting of 30 consecutive patients of an orthopedic clinic was assessed by similar questionnaires.

Results: 67% of the patients were diagnosed as OSAS (Respiratory distress index RDI>5). Most of them were referred by the primary physician and otolaryngologist. Patients were much more prone for snoring, had a higher BMI, complained more of nocturnal suffocation and apneas and their SS were higher than in the control group. Patients with high values of BMI and neck circumference and patients who complained of nocturnal apnea, had significantly high values of RDI (p<0.05). The more severe the level of OSAS the higher the sleepiness scores were (p<0.05). The correlation between the Guilleminault SS and RDI was 0.36 We failed to achieve a multivariable model for predicting RDI.

Conclusions: 1. Clinical data predict OSAS poorly 2. Sleepiness scores may be able to substitute the use of the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and in selecting patients with high risk for sleep disturbances, including OSAS.