Objective: To find out the prevalence and risk factors related obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in Chinese women aged 40 years and older. METHODS Participants living in communities must be of age > or = 40 years and were given questionnaires, which developed a scale of 11 questions. Subjects were divided into three groups by scale scores. Those with higher scores were oversampled (2.4%, 14.8%, 42.1% respectively) and subjects of this community-based sample were recorded in the sleep laboratory to ascertain patients (apnea hypopnea index, AHI > or = 5/h and daytime sleepiness). Contrasting patients with the others as a control group, explored differences in symptoms. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to determine the principal covariates affecting AHI.
Results: 34.3% of 1336 eligible women admitted various degree of snoring and 91.0% of those completed questionnaires. Crombach's alpha coefficient of scale reached 0. 7025. Factor analysis reduced 11 questions of scale to four common factors as we have designed: snoring, apneas, other symptoms, risk factors. Fifty-nine subjects experienced polysomnography evaluation. The ratios of patients to controls were 2: 25, 4: 18, 10: 16 from lower scores group to higher. We estimated the prevalence of AHI 5,10,15/h and OSAHS in this population were 41.1%, 24.0%, 17.0% and 11.1%, respectively. As far as the frequency of sleep choking, xerostomia or pharyngoxerosis in the morning, these were significant differences between the OSAHS and non-OSAHS groups. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis identified serum level follicle-stimulating hormone and BMI as predictors of AHI.
Conclusions: This scale had good validity and reliability. Snoring and OSAHS are very common in Chinese women 40 years of age and older. Women with OSAHS did report sleep choking, xerostomia or pharyngoxerosis in the morning. BMI and sex steroids may all play a role in OSAHS.