A Look into Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Ethiopians.
Background
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is prevalent throughout the world. However, there are currently limited data concerning the prevalence of OSA in populations that originate from developing countries; the prevalence of OSA is expected to rise in these countries. OSA is poorly characterized amongst Ethiopians, and our study is the first to describe clinical characteristics of OSA among Ethiopians.


Methods
We conducted a retrospective study of primarily Ethiopian patients at an internal medicine clinic in Rockville, Maryland. All patients (n=24) were evaluated for daytime sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and received physical examinations and polysomnograms (PSG) by either portable monitoring (Itamar WatchPAT 200 device) or in-lab. Statistical analyses were performed in R.


Results
Linear regression model of Body-Mass Index (BMI) and Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) indicated that for every 1-unit increase in BMI, there was a 0.8657-unit increase in AHI (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficient indicateda positive linear relationship between BMI and AHI (0.47) (p<0.05). Adjusted linear regression model for AHI and oxygen saturation indicated that for every 1-unit increase of AHI, there was a 0.8452-unit decrease in nocturnal oxygen saturation (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation coefficient did not demonstrate significance between AHI and oxygen desaturation (p=0.062). Patients received either continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (n=15) or oral appliance therapy (n=3).


Conclusion
All patients who complied with therapy reported improved sleep quality, snoring resolution, and improved daytime alertness. Practitioners in developing countries should suspect OSA in the right clinical setting and offer diagnostic and therapeutic services when available.
['Mekonnen|Asefa|A|', 'Gasiorek|Monika|M|', 'Key|Marc|M|', 'Stimac|Gregory|G|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure D003906:Developing Countries D005002:Ethiopia D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D017286:Polysomnography D012189:Retrospective Studies D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Obstructive Sleep Sleep Apnea Apnea Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Ethiopia