PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Tarja Saaresranta AU - Marisa Bonsignore AU - Ludger Grote AU - Jan Hedner AU - Walter McNicholas AU - Josep Montserrat AU - Thomas Penzel AU - Martin Pretl AU - Renata Riha AU - Pawel Sliwinski AU - Jan Zielinski TI - Regional differences in characteristics of patients referred to European sleep centers. Results from the European Sleep Apnea Database (ESADA) DP - 2012 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - 4316 VI - 40 IP - Suppl 56 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/4316.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/4316.full SO - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40 AB - The ESADA contains multiple information from patients with suspected OSA at 22 European sleep centers. We analyzed regional differences in characteristics of 5,103 patients. Centers were grouped into the following regions: NORTH (Förde, NOR – Gothenburg, SWE – Turku, FIN), SOUTH (Barcelona, Cacéres, Lleida, ESP – Milan, Palermo, ITA – Haifa, ISR), EAST (Klaipeda, LTU – Kosice, SVK – Prague, CZE – Riga, LVA – Warsaw, POL), WEST (Dublin, IRL – Edinburgh, GBR) and CENTRAL (Antwerp, Brussels, BEL – Berlin, Giessen, GER – Paris, FRA).Mean age was 51.8 (12.6) years in the cohort and females were slightly older than males. The highest and lowest prevalence of obesity (BMI>30) was found in the WEST and NORTH regions, respectively. The sleep study technique varied between regions, with the NORTH reporting more than 99% cardiorespiratory polygraphy compared with only 34% in the EAST. Sleep apnea severity varied between regions and the proportion of male patients with severe sleep apnea (AHI>30) was 23% in the NORTH compared with >40% in all other regions. Less than 50% of all patients reported severe daytime sleepiness (ESS>10); the highest ESS was found in patients in the WEST, the lowest scores in men in NORTH and women from EAST centers. Sleep length was 7.0 (1.8) hrs in women and 6.8 (1.6) hrs in men, and was shorter in the SOUTH compared with all other regions. No systematic regional differences were detected in frequency of comorbidities.The data shows considerable regional differences between patients referred to European sleep centers, suggesting an influence of local referral patterns and/or phenotypic traits in Europe.