Rendimiento de los cuestionarios de sueño en la pesquisa de pacientes adultos con síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño según sexo / Gender differences in clinical features and performance of sleep questionnaires in adults with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Background: Women with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS) are less likely to be assessed or to receive an appropriate diagnosis, and they may have poorer quality of life and survival rates. Aim: To assess gender-specific clinical differences in adult patients with OSAS. Material and Methods: A standardized clinical questionnaire and four sleep questionnaires (Berlin, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, STOP and STOP-Bang) were administered and anthropometric data were measured. Patients underwent an overnight in-laboratory polysomnography to confirm the diagnosis of OSAS. Receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity and specificity of clinical manifestations and sleep questionnaires were calculated. Results: Of 1,464 screened patients, 509 were female, 58.6% had moderate to severe OSAS. Clinical variables associated with OSAS risk in women were age, insomnia, nocturia, hypertension and cervical circumference. Paired by age and respiratory events, the snoring frequency was similar in both genders, although witnessed apneas and high cervical circumference and waist/hip ratio were more common in males. Morning headaches, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety and poor quality of sleep were more common in women. Women were older than men, more obese (although with an obesity pattern less centrally distributed) and referred hypertension, diabetes, depression and hypothyroidism with higher frequency. Sleep questionnaires performance were similar in both sexes. Conclusions: It is likely that women with OSAS may partially be underdiagnosed due to circumstances related to a different OSAS clinical expression.

[Gender differences in clinical features and performance of sleep questionnaires in adults with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome]. / Rendimiento de los cuestionarios de sueño en la pesquisa de pacientes adultos con síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño según sexo.

BACKGROUND: Women with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS) are less likely to be assessed or to receive an appropriate diagnosis, and they may have poorer quality of life and survival rates. AIM: To assess gender-specific clinical differences in adult patients with OSAS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A standardized clinical questionnaire and four sleep questionnaires (Berlin, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, STOP and STOP-Bang) were administered and anthropometric data were measured. Patients underwent an overnight in-laboratory polysomnography to confirm the diagnosis of OSAS. Receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity and specificity of clinical manifestations and sleep questionnaires were calculated. RESULTS: Of 1,464 screened patients, 509 were female, 58.6% had moderate to severe OSAS. Clinical variables associated with OSAS risk in women were age, insomnia, nocturia, hypertension and cervical circumference. Paired by age and respiratory events, the snoring frequency was similar in both genders, although witnessed apneas and high cervical circumference and waist/hip ratio were more common in males. Morning headaches, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety and poor quality of sleep were more common in women. Women were older than men, more obese (although with an obesity pattern less centrally distributed) and referred hypertension, diabetes, depression and hypothyroidism with higher frequency. Sleep questionnaires performance were similar in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that women with OSAS may partially be underdiagnosed due to circumstances related to a different OSAS clinical expression.

Prevalence and timeline of nonmotor symptoms in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Parkinson disease (PD) patients may experience nonmotor symptoms (NMS) before Parkinsonism onset. Patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (IRBD) eventually develop PD and may represent premotor PD. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and perceived timeline of NMS in IRBD through validated scales and questionnaires used in PD research. In 44 IRBD patients and 40 matched controls, overall NMS evaluation was assessed by NMS questionnaire for Parkinson disease, olfaction by University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, dysautonomia by scales for outcomes in Parkinson's disease-autonomic, constipation by Rome III criteria, depression by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, cognitive impairment by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and hypersomnia by Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Patients were asked to report the perceived time of onset of hyposmia, constipation, and depression. Hyposmia (52.3 vs. 20.0 %, p = 0.002) and constipation (56.8 vs. 20.0 %, p = 0.001) were more frequent in patients than in controls. Patients reported more memory problems and showed a trend toward lower score in MoCA. Depression and hypersomnia were not more frequent in patients. The first symptom perceived was RBD in 38.6 % patients, hyposmia in 15.9 %, constipation in 11.4 %, and depression in 6.8 %. The temporal course of the NMS studied was heterogeneous. The three most common presentations were RBD followed by hyposmia; hyposmia followed by RBD; and hyposmia followed by RBD and constipation occurring at the same time span. IRBD patients frequently exhibit NMS that occur in premotor PD, particularly hyposmia and constipation. In IRBD, the perceived timeline of NMS is highly variable. This variability may suggest that pathological changes occurring in IRBD subjects are also heterogeneous and not restricted to the structures that regulate REM sleep.