PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - E. Sforza
AU  - F. Chouchou
AU  - P. Collet
AU  - V. Pichot
AU  - J.C. Barthélémy
AU  - F. Roche
TI  - Gender differences in obstructive sleep apnoea in an elderly French population
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.00043210
DP  - 2010 Jan 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - erj00432-2010
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/09/30/09031936.00043210.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/09/30/09031936.00043210.full
AB  - 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.