Increased frequency of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in Behget's syndrome patients with superior vena cava syndrome

摘要

Objective. Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a medical emergency which can also be seen in Behcet's syndrome (BS). Haying noted that BS patients with SVCS frequently complained of sleep disturbances, snoring and sleep apnea, suggesting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), we formally surveyed the risk for OSA apiong BS patients with SVCS and suitable controls using the Berlin questionnaire. Methods. We studied 28 patients, all male, with SVCS (Group 1), 129 with vascular involvement without a SVCS (Group 2) and 151 with no vascular involvement (Group 3). In addition, 100 apparently healthy individuals (Group 4) were studied. The Berlin questionnaire (BQ), a validated screening tool with a high sensitivity and modest specificity that identifies individuals with high-risk for OSA, was administered to all study participants.