[Epidemiologic study on sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome by home investigation in Chengde city]

To investigate the prevalence of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) among adults aged over 30 yr in Chengde city of Hebei province.

1 168 subjects (over 30 yr) were derived from a random sample of the population among the Shuangqiao district in Chengde city. All subjects were asked at home to answer questions about their snoring, daytime sleepiness, and habits of smoking and drinking. According to the degree of snoring, 127 moderate and severe snorers were measured by portable PSG for a whole night and the prevalence of SAHS was estimated according to AHI and ESS scores.

1 168 subjects (95.42%) answered the questions. The prevalence of snoring was 53.76%. The prevalence of moderate and severe snoring (>or= second degree) was 28.25%. The prevalence of snoring increased with age before the age of 70. The prevalence of snoring in males was significantly higher than that in females. Smoking and drinking groups were associated with a higher prevalence of snoring. The prevalence of snoring was higher in drivers (42.00%) than that in other populations. The estimated prevalence of SAHS according to both the AHI > 5 and the ESS >or= 9 was 4.63%.

The estimated prevalence of SAHS among adults aged over 30 yr in Chengde city was 4.63%. It means that SAHS needs better understanding and more study.