Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome : a descriptive review at King Hussein Medical Center

Abstract EN

Objectives : to describe the different causes, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Methods: A total of 100 medical files for patients diagnosed by polysomnography with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome during the period between January 2007 and November 2011 were reviewed.

Demographic data and result of polysomnography were described according to their age, gender, and Body Mass Index.

Patients with a definite diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome by polysomnography underwent a titration test to evaluate the comfortable continuous positive airway pressure for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Simple descriptive statistics were used to describe the study variables. Results : About 82 % of the overall study group has Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

The study group was 64 males and 36 females.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome was present in 82.8 % of the male group and 80.6 % of the female.

In the age group ≤ 50 year, 76.9 % of male patients and 57 % of female patients had Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

In the age group above 50 years, 92% of males and 86.2 % of female patients were diagnosed to have Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

About 86.6 % of patients with body mass index more than 30 had Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome, 30 patients underwent titration test in this study ; 76.7 % of patients had successful treatment with continuous positive airway pressure. Conclusions : obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome is more common in men than women in patients less than 50 years, but it seems that obstructive sleep apnea is seen equally in both gender after the age of 50 years.

Aging and obesity are the most important risk factors for the development of the syndrome.

Based on our results, management with continuous positive airway pressure titration was successful in most of the patients.