[Polysomnographic findings and clinical presentation of adult men with obstructive sleep apnea].

AIM: To determine the age-related differences in the polysomnography (PSG) and clinical presentation of Chinese male adult subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and attempt to identify the age-specific effects on the severity of sleep apnea.

METHODS

This retrospective study included a cohort of 836 Chinese male a-dult subjects, who were diagnosed with OSA by the initial overnight PSG and recruited from the clinic population. The eligible subjects were classified into three different age groups: 312 young (mean 37. 07 years), 359 middle-aged(mean 52. 14 years) and 165 older (mean 69.43 years),and their polysomnographic findings and clinical presentation were assessed for the age-specific differences.

RESULTS

The AHI-TST between the middle-aged and older subjects was similar (P > 0. 05), but less severe than the young(P <0.01). This trend was also observed in obstructive AI,AHI-NREM, and AHI-REM. The minimum SaO2 was higher in middle-aged and older subjects than in the young ones(P < 0.01). Central Al became greater following age in-crease (P <0.05). In sleep architecture, the elderly had lower total sleep time, sleep duration NREM or REM, and sleep efficiency than the younger (P < 0. 01), whereas sleep latency and WASO became longer ( P < 0. 01).Across all study population, age significantly correlated with AHI (P<0.01), obstructive Al (P<0.01), central AI (P<0.01) and minimum SaO2 ( P < 0. 01). Multiple regression analyses identified that age as an independent variable associated with AHI, obstructive Al and central Al respective- ly, after adjusting for confounding factors.

CONCLUSION

In Chinese clinic subjects with OSA, age as an independent predictor associates with sleep apnea severity, presenting as decreased OSA and increased CSA with age.