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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2019; 12(03): 132-137
DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190076
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Age-dependent influence of gender on symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea in adults

Cassiano Mateus Forcelini
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Camilla Müller Buligon
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Gabriel Juan Kettenhuber Costa
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Gabrielle do Canto Petter
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Henrique Perosa Scapin
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Igor Alexander Augustin
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Larissa Daiane Michelon Dal-Piva
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Raquel Erbice Durgante
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
,
Vinícius Paz Lorenzoni
1   Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Faculdade de Medicina - Passo Fundo - RS - Brazil.
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Objective Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is linked to classical symptoms of snoring and excessive sleepiness. However, many women with OSA may present with a diverse profile. The influence of age on the clinical differences between genders is unclear. This survey aimed to compare the clinical and polysomnographic findings of OSA between adult males and females, but considering different age groups.

Methods This cross-sectional study comprised a sample of 472 consecutive adult patients with OSA who underwent full-night polysomnography. Data from the medical and polysomnographic records was obtained, as well as the score on Portuguese validated version of the Epwoth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Comparisons of main clinical aspects of OSA between genders were stratified according to three groups: young (< 30 years old), middle-aged (30 - 50 y.o.), and older patients (> 50 y.o.).

Results Men comprised the majority of the sample (male/female ratio of 1.6). Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) was higher in men than women (median [interquartile range]: 29.7 [18.1-47.8] vs. 21.9 [11.5-36.1]; p < 0.0001), and body mass index alike (mean ± standard deviation: 29.0±4.9 vs. 27.6±5.2; p = 0.004). Snoring was more common in male than in female patients (92% vs. 84.7%; p = 0.015). In the subset of subjects younger than 30 years-old the differences between genders were prominent (male/female; AHI: 19.6 [13.1-28.1] vs. 11.8 [7.7-18.8], p = 0.012; sno ring: 89.7% vs. 55.2%, p = 0.007), accompanied by a trend to lower score in ESS in male patients (7.1 ± 4.3 vs. 9.2 ± 4.3; p = 0.066).

Discussion Results suggest that a classical clinical picture of snoring and severe daytime sleepiness is lacking in a considerable proportion of OSA sufferers, particularly young women, who tend to be sleepier than male patients. The awareness of OSA in young women should be based more in mild excessive daily sleepiness than in other typical OSA symptoms.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Gender - Signs and Symptoms - Adults


Publication History

Received: 17 September 2018

Accepted: 01 July 2019

Article published online:
31 October 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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