Increasing obesity trends in patients with sleep-disordered breathing referred to a sleep disorders center

The prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders (SBD) is high and may be rising because of the increasing prevalence of obesity. We investigated the obesity trends over 9 years in patients referred to a sleep disorders center suspected of having SBD.

There were 5163 new patients (3679 men and 1484 women) who were referred to sleep disorders centee for an assessment of SBD from January 1995 to May 2004.

During the entire period, the mean body mass index (BMI) at time of referral was 32.2 +/- 0.1 kg/m2 (+/- SEM) (95% confidence interval [CI]:32.0-32.4) in men versus 34.5 +/- 0.2 kg/m2 (95% CI: 34.1-35.0) in women (p < .0001). Mean age and BMI were calculated for each 3-month period starting in January 1995. Regression analysis using a generalized linear model was performed to determine the relationship between BMI and the time when the patients were referred, for both sexes. The annual increase in mean BMI was 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10-0.24) for men (p < .0001) and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.13-0.54) for women (p = .002). There was no relationship between age at referral and BMI in either sex. There was a significant positive correlation between year of referral and BMI for both sexes: p < .0001, r2 = 0.40 for men, p = .002, r2 = 0.24 for women. The average female patient was 3.4 BMI units heavier over the 9-year period, while the average male patient was 1.7 BMI units heavier.

The BMI in patients referred to a sleep disorders center for an assessment of SBD has increased significantly over 9 years. Recent obesity trends may contribute to the increase in the number of patients with SBD.