Obstructive sleep apnea risk for driving license applicants in India – A community based study

摘要

ObjectivesTo determine the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for male permanent driving license (DL) applicants ofLucknow, India.Material and MethodsIn this cross-sectional community based, study body mass index, waist–hip ratio,blood pressure of each subject were determined as an anthropometric parameter along with the history of habit of smoking,tobacco chewing, alcohol consumption. STOP-Bang (Snoring, Tired or sleepy, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure,Body mass index, Age, Neck, Gender) Questionnaire – a scoring risk assessment tool – was applied for assessment of OSArisk (high OSA risk defined by score ≥ 3) for 542 male DL recipients at 2 Regional Transport Office (RTO) centers inLucknow, India. The statistical software SPSS 17.0 was applied to the testing.ResultsIn total 23% (N = 125) of participantswere found with the risk of OSA. High blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mm Hg) was found for the maximum number ofparticipants (40.5%) followed by neck circumference > 40 cm (17.1%), age (> 50 years old) (15.3%), snoring (12.3%) andtired/sleepy (10.5%). Mean values of age, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were observed significantlyhigher (p < 0.001) for participants with the OSA risk. In this population the risk of OSA risk (STOP-Bang score ≥ 3) wasobserved for 6.7% of young ( 45 years old).ConclusionsIn view of findings of this study a high number of male driving license applicants were observed with the riskof OSA. Therefore efforts should be made to develop a national screening guideline/protocol for the OSA risk assessmentfor driving license applicants in India. This may reduce the possibility of road traffic accidents due to the OSA-associatedfatigue and drowsiness behind the wheels. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):25–36