A meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of NoSAS in patients with sleep apnea syndrome

Objective The NoSAS score is a new tool widely used in recent years to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. A number of studies have shown that the NoSAS score is more accurate than previous tools, such as the Berlin, STOP-Bang, and STOP questionnaires. Therefore, this meta-analysis assessed the diagnostic value of the NoSAS score for sleep apnea syndrome in comparison to polysomnography. Methods Two researchers searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases through November 13, 2020. This paper used Endnote9.3 software to manage the literature and RevMan 5.3 and STATA12.0 software to perform the meta-analysis. Results A total of 10 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 14,510 patients. The meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity was 0.798 (95% CI 0.757, 0.833), the pooled specificity was 0.582 (95% CI 0.510, 0.651), the positive likelihood ratio was 1.909 (95% CI 1.652, 2.206), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.347 (95% CI 0.300, 0.403), the diagnostic OR was 5.495 (95% CI 4.348, 6.945), and the area under the SROC curve was 0.77 (95% CI 0.73, 0.80). The NoSAS score has good efficacy in identifying patients likely to have obstructive sleep apnea. Conclusion The NoSAS score can accurately identify patients likely to have obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, in the absence of polysomnography, one should use the NoSAS score to evaluate patients with suspected sleep apnea syndrome.