Cutoff points in STOP-Bang questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea.

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Public Health
• Diagnostic Screening

Background:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent public health issue.
• OSAS significantly impacts quality of life and is linked to cardiovascular diseases.
• Polysomnography access is limited, necessitating validated alternative screening methods like the STOP-Bang questionnaire.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the STOP-Bang questionnaire for OSAS screening in a Brazilian population.
• To determine optimal cutoff points for the STOP-Bang questionnaire in Brazilians.
• To assess the questionnaire's performance in identifying different severity levels of OSAS.

Main Methods:

• Translation and back-translation of the STOP-Bang questionnaire.
• Application of the questionnaire to 71 individuals previously assessed by polysomnography.
• Analysis of STOP-Bang scores against OSAS severity (control, mild, moderate, severe) using ROC curves.

Main Results:

• STOP-Bang scores were significantly higher in patients with mild, moderate, and severe OSAS compared to controls.
• Optimal cutoff points for mild, moderate, and severe OSAS subgroups were identified with varying sensitivity and high specificity.
• A STOP-Bang cutoff score of 6 was found to be optimal for detecting OSAS in the overall group (Apnea Hypopnea Index [AHI] ≥5).

Conclusions:

• The Brazilian version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire demonstrates lower sensitivity but higher specificity for OSAS detection compared to prior studies.
• Adjusting cutoff points can enhance the performance of the STOP-Bang questionnaire, particularly for identifying more severe cases of OSAS.
• The STOP-Bang questionnaire serves as a valuable, accessible tool for OSAS screening in clinical practice in Brazil.