Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Pakistan: A Single Tertiary Care Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Cardiorespiratory Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but often neglected condition globally, particularly in developing nations.
• Limited data exists on OSA patient demographics in developing countries, necessitating localized research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the patient population with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a private tertiary care center in a developing country.
• To analyze the correlation between age, BMI, gender, and OSA severity.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 203 patients over five years.
• Polysomnographic studies conducted in a sleep laboratory under physician supervision.
• Data analysis included clinical outcomes, self-reported data, and polysomnographic characteristics, with comparisons between genders and severity levels.

Main Results:

• Increased age and BMI significantly correlated with greater OSA severity in the Pakistani population (average age 50.84 years, BMI 34.7 kg/m²).
• Significant gender differences observed in sleep latency (women: 20.6 min vs. men: 10.8 min) and sleep efficiency (women: 63.7% vs. men: 69.8%).
• Decreased nadir saturation, total sleep time, and sleep latency were associated with increased OSA severity.

Conclusions:

• There is an urgent need for enhanced sleep medicine services in Pakistan and across Asia to address the growing burden of OSA.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering demographic factors like age and BMI in OSA assessment and management.