Obstructive Sleep Apnea-hypopnea Syndrome Patients with Overweight andHypertension in a Japanese Workplace: Ken OKABAYASHI, et al. JR East Health Promotion Center, East Japan Railway Company-The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and overweight combined with hypertension and to examine whether OSAHS in conjunction with overweight and hypertension is associated with daytime sleepiness. In a Japanese workplace of 28,636 employees, 368 men (19-62 yr old), who were anxious regarding their OSAHS symptoms, underwent home pulse oximetry. Of these, 153 men subsequently underwent all-night polysomnography (PSG), and OSAHS was diagnosed in 149. We next classified these 149 men into the following groups:, and D [Overweight (+)/ Hypertension (+), n=47]. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was used to evaluate daytime sleepiness and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was used to evaluate the severity of OSAHS. The averages of the ESS score and the AHI were compared in each group. Both the average ESS scores and the percentage of ESS scores ≥11 were not significantly different among the groups. The average AHI of group D was the highest among all of the groups and that of group C was significantly higher than those of groups A and B. In all the groups, the OSAHS patients with overweight and hypertension in this study had the highest AHI. The level of daytime sleepiness evaluated by the ESS in this study was almost the same in the OSAHS patients regardless of the degree of overweight or hypertension. These observations suggest that it is necessary to positively recommend PSG to men who are suspected of having OSAHS with overweight and hypertension, even if they do not have daytime sleepiness. Accumulating evidence has suggested that obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is not only a phenomenon of the cessation of breathing during sleep but also the cause of sleepiness during the day and various other physical disorders [1][2][3] . Moreover, neurocognitive sequelae, such as daytime sleepiness and impaired executive function, are important factors implicated in motor vehicle accidents and probably contribute to the loss of work-related productivity 4) . The true prevalence of OSAHS in Japan has not been established. A community-based study of sleep apnea in middle-aged Chinese men (30-60 yr old) residing in Hong Kong used full polysomnography (PSG) and demonstrated an estimated 4.1% prevalence of OSAHS 5) . Most population-based studies that have estimated the sexspecific prevalence indicate a greater risk of OSAHS in men than in women 6) . Thus, OSAHS is common in adult males and remains an important public health problem. However, many people with OSAHS remain undiagnosed and untreated because the symptoms of OSAHS, such as snoring and cessation of breathing, are not necessarily