Abstract:

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the consistency of Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) results and polysomnography (PSG) findings in the patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Patients and Methods: A total of 109 patients (68 males, 41 females; mean age 48.6 years; range 20 to 77 years) who were admitted with the complaints of apnea, witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness were included. The correlation among age, body mass index (BMI), and ESS and PSG findings were assessed. Results: There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the age and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (p<0.01). We observed that AHI figures increased with increasing age. There was also a positive and statistically significant correlation between the BMI and AHI (p<0.05). We found that AHI increased in parallel with BMI increase. There was, no statistically significant correlation among the AHI results based on the ESS assessment, the percentage of sleep under 90% of saturation, and the Arousal index (AI). Conclusion: The responses to the questions in the ESS may vary from individual to individual, depending on the socio-cultural and economic status. We believe, therefore, that a new Turkey-based questionnaire considering the lifestyle of our population would offer more useful information about sleep disordered breathing.

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