Prevalence and Associated Factors of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Saudi Arabia: A Web Based Questionnaire Based Study

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition that is prevalent among males. Though less is known about its prevalence among females. Furthermore, STOP-BANG score test is a self-reported survey that is widely used for diagnosing risks of obstructive sleep apnea. Due to the lack of determining the prevalence of OSA among females and its risk factors using STOP-BANG score test, the study was brought off.

METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted using modified STOP-BANG questionnaire that was distributed through WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, and Telegram to determine the prevalence and associated factors of OSA among Saudi females in comparison to males.

RESULTS: A total of 1377 participants completed the survey, total of 819 (59.4%) were females. The results showed that Prevalence of OSA among females is much less and the number of who had whether mild or moderate risk of OSA was 44 (3.9%) while 78 (14%) were males. Among the survey variables, the only significant factors were Smoking, Snoring, Body mass index, and tiredness.

CONCLUSION: OSA is a common sleeping disorder among men. Contrastingly, its prevalence is much less among females. STOP-BANG score is a good, cheap, and easy to use for diagnosing risk of OSA. Finally, OSA is associated with smoking, BMI, tiredness, and snoring.