Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a major public health problem. The morphometric model and the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score are widely used to evaluate adults; however, neither of these tools has been validated in a Mexican population.
Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of the morphometric model and the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score and compare them with conventional clinical instruments.
Methods: A total of 97 individuals were recruited prospectively. Initial screening excluded 36, of whom nine were subjects without apnea; the remaining 52 were consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome diagnosed by nocturnal polysomnography. Diagnostic values of each test were calculated.
Results: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients had significantly higher scores with both instruments than controls: morphometric model: 61.3 (95% CI: 45.5-75.3) vs. 41.0 (95% CI: 35.6-45.6); Sleep Apnea Clinical Score: 45.3 (95% CI: 39.5-40.3) vs. 36 (95% CI: 34.0-36.5), respectively. For severe cases, the best cutoff point for morphometric model was 46, with a sensitivity of 81% (95% CI: 62.5-92.6) and specificity of 46.7% (95% CI: 66.4-100), while for Sleep Apnea Clinical Score it was > 48, with a sensitivity of 61% (95% CI: 46.1-74.2) and specificity of 80.4% (95% CI: 66-90.6).
Conclusions: A morphometric model value of ≥ 46 or an adjusted neck circumference (Sleep Apnea Clinical Score) > 48 were adequate for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.