OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEEA (OSA) AND RISK FACTORS

Introduction. Obstructive Sleep Apneea (OSA) is a common condition and its predominance is directly related to the explosion of obesity in western society. Obstructive Sleep Apneea is manifested by recurring episodes of collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Obesity and the increase of neck circumference, as well as visceral fat are risk factors for OSA. OSA is more common in men than in women, although women have higher rates of obesity. Objectives. The goal of this article was to show the correlation between OSA and obesity, adipose tissue in the abdomen and neck, sex and background of the patients in the study group. Materials and methods. In this article we present the results of a test group of 101 patients diagnosed with OSA, in the records of the “Marius Nasta” Pneumoftiziology Institute, patients being evaluated at 2, 6, 12 months. Comparative results and discussion. In this study can be observed a higher frequency of male patients (82.17%) compared to female patients (17.83%). Patients go to a doctor when they are in an advanced stage of the disease (from 101 patients, 88 display the severe form OSA). Most patients were obese (100 patients out of 101) in various stages of obesity. A larger number of patients come from urban areas (89 patients) compared with the patients from the rural areas (12 patients). Conclusions. As a conclusion of this study, can be seen that obesity is closely correlated with the severity of OSA and the distribution of fat in the neck and abdomen has an important role. The disease is more common in men than women, and there is a higher number of patients from the urban areas who seek help from a doctor.