[Screening of sleep apnea syndrome-a review of current situation]

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a chronic disorder characterized by repetitive apneas, oxygen desaturation and disruption during sleep. The main clinical manifestations of OSAHS are snores, intermittent hypoxia, morning headache, excessive daytime sleepiness, tired and memory descent. OSAHS affects 3%-20% of the general population. Although commonly accepted as the gold standard for diagnosis of OSAHS, PSG is thought to be time-consuming, labor-intensive, costly and uncomfortable. Evidence from epidemiology indicated that 93% of women and 82% of men with moderate to severe OSAHS have not been clinically diagnosed. An epidemiological survey in Shanghai, China, showed that more than 85% of OSAHS was undiagnosed. Studies showed that undiagnosed OSAHS is independently associated with the increased likelihood of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, daytime sleepiness, motor vehicle accidents, and diminished quality of life. Thus, researchers have attempted to develop a simple and effective tool to screen patients with OSAHS, which has been reviewed and summarized in our article.