Prevalence, Knowledge and Awareness of Obstructive sleep apnea among Egyptians attending outpatient clinics.

Abstract

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder that causes upper airway collapse leading to sleep apnea or hypopnea and is associated with serious health conditions. Despite being prevalent, it is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease. We aimed at measuring the prevalence of OSA risk and detecting the level of knowledge of OSA among Egyptians attending outpatient clinics. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted at two university hospitals at Cairo using a Berlin questionnaire and OSA Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire (OSAKA) Participants were recruited from outpatient clinics of Al-Hussein University Hospital and Al-Sayed Galal University Hospital. We used a validated Arabic translated version of the Berlin Questionnaire. Three domains (10 questions) were tested: the presence and severity of snoring, frequency of daytime sleepiness, and the presence of obesity or hypertension. A translation of 5 questions from OSA Knowledge/Attitude Questionnaire (OSAKA) that are suitable for the general population were also used. Results: Out of 395 participants approached, 345 participants (87%) completed the questionnaire. The age ranged from 18 to 82 years old (40.9 ± 15.5 SD). About 52% of participants were females (n=179) and 48% were males (n=166). The prevalence of high risk OSA among the studied population was 17.4% (n=60). Older ages, obesity and hypertension were found to be significantly associated with OSA risk. On the level of OSA awareness, 90.1% (n=311) of participants didn’t not have previous knowledge about OSA and there was no significant association between participants’ knowledge, and risk of OSA. Conclusion: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was associated with older ages, obesity and hypertension. The knowledge level was far from needed among the studied group. This lack of knowledge needs to be addressed to reduce the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of obstructive sleep apnea.