Cor Vasa 2020, 62(1):44-49 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2019.086

(Using questionnaires to detect obstructive sleep apnoe)

Pavel Šulc

Centrum kardiovaskulární prevence, 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy a Thomayerova nemocnice s poliklinikou, Praha

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoe (OSA) syndrome is a serious and rather frequent condition remaining largely undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated. A possible way how to improve the detection of OSA in the general population is the employment of dedicated questionnaires to preselect high-risk individuals.

Objectives: The aim of this review is to compare sensitivity and specificity of questionnaires developed to preselect patients with clinically relevant OSA.

Methods: Based on eligibility criteria, we selected studies focusing on the sensitivity and specificity of each of the following questionnaires: the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the STOP-BANG (SBQ), comparing their sensitivity and specificity with polysomnography, considered as the gold standard with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15 being clinically relevant.

Results: When compared with polysomnography, the mean sensitivity of the BQ, ESS and SBQ to detect AHI ≥ 15 was found to be 58.8-76%, 39-75% and 66-93%, respectively; similarly, their specificity was 39-63%, 48-71% and 40.5-74%.

Conclusions: In patients with clinically relevant OSA, the BQ and SBQ showed high sensitivity with only medium specificity, thus resulting in high false positivity. Whereas Epworth Sleepiness Scale displayed in patients with clinically relevant OSA medium sensitivity and specificity, being, therefore, less suitable to detect high-risk patients, patients with a positive questionnaire should be referred to centers for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

Keywords: Berlin Questionnaire, Epworth Sleep Scale, Obstructive sleep apnoe, STOP-BANG Questionnaire

Received: August 30, 2019; Revised: December 2, 2019; Accepted: December 5, 2019; Published: February 28, 2020  Show citation