Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is still an undiagnosed disease in women, possibly due to differences in clinical presentation or a higher tolerance to symptoms. There are no studies to assess these differences in Romanian population.
Aim: we conducted this study to assess these differences (demographics, clinical presentation, and polysomnographic findings) between men and women.
Material and methods: Our study group comprised 131 patients (57 women) diagnosed with OSA in the sleep lab from Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases, Iasi, Romania. We analyzed polysomnographic recordings, demographic data and all the information gathered in their personal files from sleep lab.
Results: Women were significantly older than men (59.3 +/- 12.6 vs, 46.7 +/- 22.8), and their body mass index was also significantly higher (39.6 +/- 5.7 vs, 31.2 +/- 7.9). Women declared more frequent insomnia, morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness. Men accuse more frequent snoring and witnessed apneas. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was statistically higher in men compared to women (64.0 +/- 25.7 vs, 45 +/- 21.9, p < 0.001), and also the snoring percentage (35.7 +/- 23.9 vs. 16.8 +/- 2.5, P < 0.001); women had a higher sleep onset latency (26.8 +/- 36.5 vs. 20.6 +/- 25.4, P < 0.03), the arousal index was significantly higher in women than in men (AI: 42.7 +/- 34.5 vs. 25.4 +/- 15.6, P < 0.04), and also an increased total sleep time was observed in women compared to men. There were no significant differences between time bellow 90% saturation in men vs. women.
Conclusion: women with OSA are presenting with complaints that send us to other disorders than sleep apnea (depressive moods, insomnia, morning headaches) and the polysomnographic features that characterize sleep quality are more affected in women. Clinicians need to be aware of these differences when assessing women for the possibility of OSA in order to allow a correct management of the disease.