[Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and upper airway resistance syndrome. Gender-related differences].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess potential gender-related differences in the clinical presentation and polysomnographic parameters of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The polysomnographic variables and medical histories of 165 women with OSAS and 66 women with UARS from two sleep disorder clinics, presenting consecutively between 2000 and 2006 were retrospectively analyzed. These women were matched with an identical number of men, presenting during the same time frame, by diagnostic category (UARS/OSAS), age, and BMI.
RESULTS: The relative percentage of women diagnosed with UARS varied dependent on their menopausal status. Postmenopausal women presented significantly less frequently with UARS than pre- and perimenopausal women. The adjusted odds ratio for a diagnosis of OSAS vs UARS was 5.5 (CI: 2.3;13.2; P=0.001) compared to premenopausal women. UARS women had a 30 min higher subjective sleep need than UARS men (8.2+/-1.1 vs 7.7+/-1.1 h/night; P=0.028). UARS women consumed significantly more prescription drugs than UARS men (P=0.017), and presented with a significantly lower quality of life score than their male counterparts (P=0.021). The quantitative snoring measure during sleep did not indicate significant gender differences between diagnostic categories and gender.
CONCLUSIONS: Clinical presentation and polysomnographic parameters in patients with OSAS and UARS show distinct gender-related differences. These differences should be considered when patients present with signs and symptoms of OSAS or UARS.