@article {Sforzaerj00432-2010, author = {E. Sforza and F. Chouchou and P. Collet and V. Pichot and J.C. Barth{\'e}l{\'e}my and F. Roche}, title = {Gender differences in obstructive sleep apnoea in an elderly French population}, elocation-id = {erj00432-2010}, year = {2010}, doi = {10.1183/09031936.00043210}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects differently females and men, and increases in prevalence with age. We characterize the clinical, anthropometric and polygraphic gender differences in a large elderly OSA population.641 subjects aged 68 yr were examined. Measurement of fat mass using dual-energy X-ray absorbsiometry (DEXA) and polygraphy were obtained in all subjects. An apnoea+hypopnoea index (AHI) \>15 identified the presence of OSA.OSA was diagnosed in 57\% of the sample, 34\% having a mild form and 23\% having an AHI\>30. OSA females had a lower AHI, less severe hypoxemia, greater peripheral fat mass and reported frequently anxiety and depression. Comparison of females with and without OSA did not show significant differences in clinical, anthropometric and DEXA data. After adjustment for BMI, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, anxiety and depression, logistic regression analysis revealed that presence of hypertension (Odd Ratio=1.52, p=0.04) was significantly associated with OSA risk in females.In a general community healthy population, the prevalence of undiagnosed OSA in females increases with age, with a risk similar to men. In females, the clinical spectrum, the anthropometric data and the fat distribution appear to be more gender-related than OSA-dependent. The occurrence of OSA contributes to hypertensive risk in elderly females.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/09/30/09031936.00043210}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/09/30/09031936.00043210.full.pdf}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }