Comparison of four established questionnaires to identify highway bus drivers at risk for obstructive sleep apnea in Turkey

Abstract

In Turkey, all heavy‐vehicle driver's license applicants older than 45 years and with body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2 are required to have polysomnography (PSG). However, this law is usually overlooked in practice due to the large number of applications. We aimed to assess the usefulness of four standardized questionnaires: Berlin, STOP, STOP‐BANG and OSA50, in identifying the high‐risk bus drivers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Ninety highway bus drivers underwent polysomnography and completed four questionnaires. They also underwent otolaryngologic evaluation and blood testing for probable co‐existing conditions such as diabetes and hypothyroidism. Neck circumference, BMI, waist circumference, prevalence of OSA and metabolic syndrome, oxygen desaturation index and duration of sleep associated with less than 90% saturation were significantly higher and mean oxygen saturation was significantly lower in drivers >45 years old than drivers <45 years old. STOP‐BANG questionnaire had the highest sensitivity (87%) and the highest negative predictive value (NPV) (76%) in identifying high‐risk for OSA. A cut off of 45 years old is suitable in screening highway bus drivers for OSA. Among the four questionnaires, STOP‐BANG questionnaire had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) in identifying high risk patients for OSA in highway bus drivers and can be safely used as a screening test in this group.

Reliability of the Watch-PAT 200 in Detecting Sleep Apnea in Highway Bus Drivers

“…The results were reported in our previous publication. 3 The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 89.1%, 76.9%, 82%, and 85.7% for RDI > 15, respectively. The specificity was 10% and sensitivity 96% for RDI > 5 ( Table 1).…”

“…3 As a second procedure, the Watch-PAT 200 can be used to evaluate OSA in those drivers with high risk for OSA with 89.1% sensitivity (Figure 4). Low risk drivers (according to the STOP-BANG questionnaire) had a prevalence of 24% of RDI > 15, with 83% sensitivity and 84% specificity.…”

“…The results have previously been reported. 3 Exclusion criteria were prior diagnosis of sleep apnea, α-blocker medication, bilateral sympathectomy, Raynaud disease, acrocyanosis, severe vasculopathy, neuropathy, and total sleep time < 180 min in PSG recordings. The study complied with the declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the local research ethics committee; all drivers gave written informed consent prior to participation.…”

Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnostic Testing for Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline

“…The OSA50 questionnaire involves four components including age ≥ 50, snoring, witnessed apneas and waist circumference. 81 A study involving Turkish bus drivers 82 and a validation study for the OSA50 in the primary care setting 81 showed a sensitivity ranging from 0.49-0.98 and a specificity of 0.82 in both studies (see supplemental material, Table S32 and Table S33). …”

Prevalência E Fatores Ocupacionais Associados À Obesidade Em Trabalhadores Do Transporte Coletivo Urbano: Revisão Sistemática Da Literatura

“…Além disso, prevenir a obesidade é uma forma de evitar outros agravos que afligem esta população, tais como mostraram os estudos que encontraram associação da obesidade em rodoviários com índice de distorção respiratória (HUI et al, 2002;HUI et al, 2006); ocorrência de acidentes de trânsito e sono ao dirigir (VIEGAS; OLIVEIRA, 2006); hipertensão arterial sistêmica (BENVEGNÚ et al, 2008;KAEWBOONCHOO et al, 2007;MARCINKIEWICZ;SZOSL AND, 2010;SHIN et al, 2013;LAKSHMAN et al, 2014;ASSUNÇÃO, 2015); hiperglicemia (MARCINKIEWICZ; SZOSLAND, 2010); aumento do nível de chumbo no sangue (KAEWBOONCHOO et al, 2010); insônia e apneia do sono (RAZMPA; NIAT; SAEDI, 2011;FIRAT et al, 2012); adoção de comportamento não saudável de controle de peso (ESCOTO; FRENCH, 2012); sintomas musculoesqueléticos (FERNÁNDEZ-D'POOL et al, 2012); sonolência (SANTOS et al, 2013).…”