Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurring episodes of pharyngeal collapse, which can partially or completely block airflow during sleep and cause cardiorespiratory and neurological imbalances. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess OSA and the relationship between AHI and polysomnographic characteristics in OSA patients. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted at the Department of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine for two years. All 216 participants underwent polysomnography, and 175 of them were reported to have OSA (AHI ≥ 5), while 41 of them did not (AHI < 5). ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient test were performed. Results: In terms of the study population's average AHI, Group 1 had 1.69 ± 1.34, mild OSA had 11.79 ± 3.55, moderate OSA had 22.12 ± 4.34, and severe OSA was found to have 59.16 ± 22.15 events/hour. The study group's average age was 53.77 ± 7.19 out of 175 OSA patients. According to AHI, the BMI for mild OSA was 31.66 ± 8.32 kg/m2, for moderate OSA, it was 30.52 ± 3.99 kg/m2, and for severe OSA, it was 34.35 ± 8.22 kg/m2. The average number of oxygen desaturation events and snoring duration were 25.20 ± 18.63 and 24.61 ± 28.53 min, respectively. BMI (r = 0.249, p < 0.001), average oxygen saturation (r = -0.387, p < 0.000), oxygen desaturation (r = 0.661, p < 0.000), snoring time (r = 0.231, p < 0.002), and the number of snores (r = 0.383, p < 0.001) were the polysomnographic variables that showed significant correlations with AHI in the study group. Conclusions: In this study, a substantial prevalence of obesity and a high OSA frequency were found in men. Our research showed that individuals with obstructive sleep apnea experience nocturnal desaturations. Polysomnography is the primary test for early detection of this treatable condition.
Keywords: apnea hypopnea index; excessive daytime sleepiness; polysomnography; sleep apnea.