Screening of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Risk and Study of Its Predictors in a Population of Adult Indians

Purpose: The current study is the first attempt to screen obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk in adult populations of Chhattisgarh, India. A few predictors of OSA, such as socio-demographic variables, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), behavioral sleep variables, and chronotype were also investigated. Methods: Five hundred eleven (167 males and 344 females) randomly chosen healthy subjects participated in the study. The STOP-BANG and Modified Berlin Questionnaires (MBQ) were used for the screening of OSA. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale was used to determine excessive daytime sleepiness. The Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) were used to determine the chronotype and behavioral sleep variables of each subject. Results: It was observed that 11% of the studied population was at risk of OSA obtained through MBQ. The STOP-BANG score significantly differed as a function of gender, family type, habitat, and chronotype. The Principal Component Analysis revealed behavioral sleep variables, demographic variables, EDS, and chronotype as the important correlates of OSA. The variables namely sleep latency and sleep inertia on both workdays and free days contributed to 22% variability in the dataset; whereas age, BMI and BSA together explained 19% variability. The ESS score and other associated factors explained the 20% variability in the dataset. Conclusions: The study delivers an early warning and underscores that about 11% of young adults from Chhattisgarh have a higher OSA risk. Sleep latency and sleep inertia could be associated with OSA risk more prominently followed by BMI and BSA. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.