ABSTRACT
Background: The sleep disturbances are common at high altitudes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of obstructive sleep apnea at high altitudes
Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted from March 2018 to June 2018 to assess the predictors of obstructive sleep apnea based on Berlin, Stop-Bang and Epworth sleepiness scale questionnaire from adult population of Taif City at an altitude of 1879 m from sea level in Saudi Arabia
Results: Of 1002 participants, the majority [614 participants, 61.3%] were males and the mean +/- SD age of participants was 30.6 +/- 10.3 years [Range 11 - 67 years]. In this study 24.9% participants were found to be at a high risk of having sleep apnea. Male gender, older age and smoking were found to be significantly associated with higher risk of sleep apnea according to Berlin, Stop-Bang and Epworth sleepiness scale questionnaire. Diseases found to be associated with a high risk of developing sleep apnea included hypertension [p<0.001], hyperlipidemia [p<0.001], diabetes [p<0.001], psychological disorders [p<0.001] and asthma [p<0.001] .On the other hand, cardiac disorders were found to have an insignificant effect on sleep apnea [p=0.076] in this study. Almost one-third of the participants [34.9%; 95% CI= 32.0% to 37.9%] were found to have an abnormal level of daytime sleepiness according to Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]. These results were comparable to the previous studies at low altitude
Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the predictors of OSA at high altitudes are comparable to those at low altitudes