TY - JOUR T1 - Gender differences in comorbidity burden in recently diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea patients JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P2199 AU - Maria Xanthoudaki AU - Evangelia Nena AU - Maria Antoniadou AU - Panagiotis Boglou AU - Stylianos Steiropoulos AU - Paschalis Ntolios AU - Maria Manidou AU - Kostas Archontogeorgis AU - Georgios Kolios AU - Demosthenes Bouros AU - Paschalis Steiropoulos Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2199.abstract N2 - Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is associated with several comorbidities. Aim of the study was to examine gender differences in comorbidities in a large line of OSA patients.Methods: The characteristics of 689 consecutive individuals (511 males and 178 females) evaluated with polysomnography, due to suspected OSA, were analyzed. Patients were divided according to OSA severity into 3 groups and comparisons were made between male and female patients.Results: Mild OSA was diagnosed in 142, moderate in 105 and severe OSA in 303 patients. In 139 individuals, AHI was <5/h (these served as controls). Mean number of comorbidities increased with OSA severity (1.5±1.3 in mild, 1.7±1.4 in moderate, and 1.8±1.6 in severe OSA; p=0.048).Among OSA patients, females were older (56.2±10.9 vs. 52.8±13.3 years, p=0.001) with higher BMI (36±8.7 vs. 32.9±5.9 Kg/m2, p<0.001). A significantly higher total number of comorbidities (2.3±1.6 vs. 1.6±1.4; p<0.001) in women vs. men was observed. This difference was not observed in controls. Smoking prevalence (current or ex-smokers) was significantly higher in men (75% vs. 46.2%, chi-squared 35.107, p<0.001).Females with OSA had a higher prevalence of hypothyroidism (21.4% vs. 2.9%, chi-squared 48.145, p<0.001), depression (13.7% vs. 1.9%, chi-squared 29.239, p<0.001), arterial hypertension (58.1% vs. 45.7%, chi-squared 5.677, p=0.021) and heart failure (6% vs. 1.7%, chi-squared 6.490, p=0.019) in comparison with males.Conclusion: Women recently diagnosed with OSA, are older and more obese, with higher burden of comorbidities than men. Hypothyroidism, depression, arterial hypertension and heart failure are more prevalent in women with OSA than men. ER -