Prevalence of upper airway resistance syndrome in the Sa~o Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study

Objective: To establish the prevalence of upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) according to different diagnostic criteria and evaluate its epidemiological characteristics in a representative sample of a large urban center.Methods: This was a single-center evaluation involving volunteers from EPISONO, an epidemiological study focused on sleep disturbances and related factors in adults from Sa~o Paulo, Brazil in 2007.Results: Considering the diagnostic criteria for UARS to be an apnea-hypopnea index of < 5 events/h, minimum SpO2 >= 92%, the presence of airflow limitation during sleep for >= 5% of total sleep time, and daytime symptoms (sleepiness and/or fatigue), we observed a prevalence of the condition of 3.1% (4.4% in women and 1.5% in men).Conclusions: Although the diagnostic criteria for UARS, or even its existence as a syndrome, are still a subject of debate in the literature, the findings from this epidemiological study highlights UARS as a non-hypoxic sleep-disordered breathing condition with a significant prevalence in the general population, being more frequent among female young adults.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.