The influence of gender on symptoms associated with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Women with OSA were more likely to report tiredness, initial insomnia, and morning headaches, and less likely to complain of typical OSA symptoms (snoring, apneas) than men.

<p>Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening with a 4-Item Instrument, Named GOAL Questionnaire: Development, Validation and Comparative Study with No-Apnea, STOP-Bang, and NoSAS</p>

“…Regarding clinical symptomatology, men with OSA usually have typical symptoms such as snoring and observed apnea, while women with OSA often report symptoms that are considered atypical, such as insomnia, morning headache, and fatigue. 32,33 Based on polysomnographic findings, women have a lower prevalence of OSA than men, but with a clear increase in frequency after menopause. 32,33 Unlike No-Apnea, 23 the chosen measure of obesity was BMI over NC: this finding may translate into a better balance of its components between genders, since NC is a variable that is arguably higher in men than in women.…”

“…32,33 Based on polysomnographic findings, women have a lower prevalence of OSA than men, but with a clear increase in frequency after menopause. 32,33 Unlike No-Apnea, 23 the chosen measure of obesity was BMI over NC: this finding may translate into a better balance of its components between genders, since NC is a variable that is arguably higher in men than in women. [32][33][34] OSA prevalence increases with age, with some studies reporting a high prevalence of OSA in the elderly.…”

“…32,33 Unlike No-Apnea, 23 the chosen measure of obesity was BMI over NC: this finding may translate into a better balance of its components between genders, since NC is a variable that is arguably higher in men than in women. [32][33][34] OSA prevalence increases with age, with some studies reporting a high prevalence of OSA in the elderly. 35 The only subjective variable that was chosen in our model was loud snoring, since snoring intensity increases as OSA becomes more severe.…”

Sleep questionnaires for the screening of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with non‐diabetic patients

“…Knowledge about sex-related differences may increase awareness and may improve diagnosis. 40 In diabetic patients with symptoms of disturbed sleep, such as EDS or even insomnia, sleep recording should be preferred in order to safely rule out OSA even if the screening tools are negative for OSA. The development of a diabetes-specific questionnaire could help more safely identify T2DM patients with OSA.…”

Cuestionarios para la detección de trastornos respiratorios del sueño

“…Estos cuestionarios pueden complementarse entre sí en diferentes combinaciones, no siendo mutuamente excluyentes. Su sensibilidad (S) y especificidad (E) en pacientes que concurren a unidades especializadas (Unidades de Sueño o Laboratorios) ha sido descripta en nuestro medio y son rutinariamente aplicados en la Unidad de Sueño del Hospital Británico [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] .…”