Chest
Clinical InvestigationsSLEEPGender Differences in the Expression of Sleep-Disordered Breathing: Role of Upper Airway Dimensions
Section snippets
Subjects
One hundred fifty-two consecutive patients who were referred to the university sleep center for evaluation of SDB were prospectively enrolled in the study. Twenty-two patients were excluded because of diagnoses other than SDB or having prior uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or clinically evident maxillofacial abnormalities in the form of retrognathia or micrognathia.13 Menopausal state was determined by lack of menses for at least 1 year. Subjective excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed using the
Results
The demographic characteristics, RDIs, and arousal indexes of apneic and nonapneic patients are shown in Table 1. There were 78 men (mean age, 49.2 ± 1.5 years) and 52 women (mean age, 47.4 ± 1.5 years; p = 0.30). In the male group, patients with OSA were older than those with increased UARS with no significant difference in body mass index (BMI) or Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores. There was no significant difference in age and BMI between increased UARS and OSA in the female patients. Men had
Discussion
The present study demonstrates a significant gender effect on the upper airway dimensions and expression of sleep-related breathing disorders in a large group of markedly obese male and female subjects. We found that obese female patients presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness and snoring had mild OSA compared with their male counterparts who had severe OSA. In female patients, both OPJ and pharyngeal cross-sectional areas were significantly smaller than male patients for a comparable
Acknowledgment
The author thanks Lauren Pollio and Wendy Stegina for technical assistance and Uyi Osaseri for assistance with data analysis.
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