Assessment of the role of inheritance in sleep apnea syndrome.

Several reports have suggested a genetic importance in the pathogenesis of the sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). In this study, all adult (> 16 yr of age) offspring of 45 randomly selected parents with previously diagnosed SAS were asked to undergo a whole-night polysomnographic study. One hundred and five of 120 candidates participated in the study (66M:39F), with a high rate of compliance. Forty-seven percent of the offspring (36 males and 13 females; mean age, 32 yr) were found to have SAS. These results appear considerably higher (p < 0.001) than the common estimation of the prevalence of SAS in the population (4%). Another 21.9% of the offspring were "simple snorers" (17 males and 6 females; mean age, = 26 yr). Thirty-one percent were unaffected (13 males, 20 females; mean age, 29 yr). Only 16% of males over 35 yr of age were unaffected. In the single family studied in which both parents were affected, all three of their children (sons) had SAS: two grandsons older than 16 yr were simple snorers. Considering the well-established prevalence of SAS in the general population (1 to 4%), these results may suggest that SAS is an inherited syndrome.