Obstructive sleep apnoea – diagnosis is all very well, but treatment is necessary

The article in this issue by Ouedraogo et al.[1] from Burkina Faso complements one from Nigeria[2] in demonstrating a high prevalence of symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in Africa. The Burkina Faso cohort was made up of caregivers in the outpatient department. The mean age was 31.8 years, and 9.6% of those enrolled had symptoms of OSA. The Nigerian cohort was made up of patients presenting to a medical outpatient clinic. These patients were older (mean age 53.8 years) than those in Burkina Faso, and 73.1% had symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing. Both studies relied on questionnaires for diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing, as no equipment for objective diagnosis was available.