Estudios de prevalencia del síndrome de apneas obstructivas del sueño en la población adulta

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder associated with multiple ad­verse health consequences and its prevalence is increasing in parallel with global rising in obesity. Methods: We have developed a systematic review to examine obstructive sleep apnea syndrome prevalence studies in adults in the general population. We included the cross-sectional studies and the cross-sectional components of longitudinal studies that objectively measured OSAS in adults using laboratory instruments. Forty studies out of 8,876 articles found by systematically searching in PubMed and other databases were included in this review. Results: Substantial methodological heterogeneity in population prevalence studies has been observed, determining a wide variation in OSAS prevalence defined at an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 5 events/hour, the average OSAS prevalence was 36.9% (CI95% 28.3-45.4%) in men and 24.0% (CI95% 16.3-31.6%) in women. The OSAS prevalence has increased over the time. OSAS is more prevalent in men than in women and increases with age and obesity. Excessive daytime sleepiness has been suggested as the most impor- tant symptom associated to OSAS, but only a fraction of subjects with AHI > 5 events/hour report daytime sleepiness. Conclusion: The prevalence of OSAS has increased in epidemiological studies over time. The differences in reported prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea are probably due to different diagnostic equipment, operational definitions, study design and characteristics of included subjects, including effects of the obesity epidemic.