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Characterization of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with insomnia across gender and age

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Abstract

Objectives

A large number of clinical observational studies have suggested that women patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a higher presence of insomnia symptoms compared to men with OSA. There is no study that has examined the effect of age and gender on the relationship between OSA and chronic insomnia in a large number of patients with insomnia.

Methods

We collected data on 860 patients with chronic insomnia and included both sexes and a wide range of ages (mean age 43.0 ± 12.1 (range 18–81) years, 409 men). All participants underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG) in a sleep medicine center.

Results

The prevalence of OSA based on three different apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) categories (events/h >5, >15, and >30) were 42.5, 21.8, and 8.3 % in men and 19.1, 6.2, and 1.8 % in women, respectively. Across age ranges of <35, 35~<45, 45~<55, and ≥55 years, the prevalence of OSA was remarkably greater in men than in women up to 55 years of age, but not in subjects with ages ≥55 years. AHI was a significant risk factor for hypertension; the odds ratio of hypertension in patients with high AHI (>30) compared to patients in the lowest AHI category (<5) was 3.68 (95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.47–9.21), after adjusting for all other factors.

Conclusion

Similar to the gender differences reported in general population studies, men had a much greater OSA prevalence than women prior to 55 years of age, but not at ages greater than 55 years.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81170072 and 81328010) and the National Basic Research Program of China (No: 2015CB856400). We thank Dr. Larry D. Sanford for his aid in revising our article.

Disclosure Statement

This was not an industry-supported study. The authors have indicated no financial conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sleep Medicine Center, Mental Health Center, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Zhe Li, Yun Li, Linghui Yang, Tao Li, Fei Lei & Xiangdong Tang

  2. Sleep Research & Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Alexandros N. Vgontzas

  3. Sleep Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 28 Dian Xin Nan Jie, Chengdu City, 610041, Sichuan Province, China

    Xiangdong Tang

Authors
  1. Zhe Li
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  2. Yun Li
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  3. Linghui Yang
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  4. Tao Li
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  5. Fei Lei
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  6. Alexandros N. Vgontzas
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  7. Xiangdong Tang
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Correspondence to Xiangdong Tang.

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Li, Z., Li, Y., Yang, L. et al. Characterization of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with insomnia across gender and age. Sleep Breath 19, 723–727 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-015-1121-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-015-1121-2

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