Abstract
Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a frequent sleep-related breathing disorder defined by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, which result in intermittent hypoxia, fragmented sleep and important cardiovascular and metabolic consequences. Despite the fact that OSA is very common, it is underdiagnosed, especially in low-resource areas where access to gold standard diagnostic tools like polysomnography (PSG) is restricted. Aim and objectives of the study: The aim of the present study is to assess the efficacy of STOP-Bang questionnaire as a screening tool in Sleep Laboratory, Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Peshawar for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The main goal is to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the STOP-Bang score for predicting OSA. Further, the study aims to explore the correlation of each STOP-Bang component with OSA severity and the best cut-off score to accurately predict moderate-to-severe OSA. Methodology: A cross sectional study done at Khyber teaching hospital Peshawar. Ethical clearance was done at Khyber teaching hospital. Secondary data was collected in Sleep lab of Khyber teaching hospital (KTH). A study was planned for adult patients (age ≥18 years) referred for PSG, for a period of four months. Participants will be given the STOP-Bang questionnaire before they begin the overnight polysomnography (PSG). The PSG results will then confirm the presence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and the severity based on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). The data will be analyzed by statistical software. Significance will be determined at a p value of < 0.05. Results: A total of 103 subjects were referred to the sleep lab for evaluation of suspected OSA and statistical analysis was performed, with a p value of < 0.05 considered significant. Overall, the results show a high risk clinical population, with a mean stop bang score of 4.93 and a high proportion of people identified as high risk for osa.Conclusion: In this study, the STOP-Bang questionnaire proved to be a useful screening tool to identify individuals who might be at risk for OSA. The link with hypertension and the high prevalence of obesity indicate important risk factors of the disease.