THE CORRELATION OF APNEA HYPOPNEA INDICES WITH EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE SCORES AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
1Antalya E.A.H, KBB Kliniği, Antalya, Türkiye2Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıd E.A.H, KBB Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye
3Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıd E.A.H, Göğüs Hastalıkları Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye Aim: We aimed to show, the correlation between apnea hypopnea indices with Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores and the Ear Nose Throat examinations in 666 patients evaluated with polysomnography who applied to our hospital with complaints of snoring and sleep apnea.
Material and methods: In our study, 666 patients files who had polysomnography were evaluated retrospectively. 47 patients whose body mass index was higher than forty and have an additional neurological disease were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into four groups according to their apnea-hypopnea index scores; normal group (AHI <5), patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea (15> AHI> 5), patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea (30> AHI> 15) and patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (AHI> 30). The Turkish version of Epworth Sleepiness Scale was used to measure the subjective sleepiness.
Findings: There were 448 male (72,3 %) and 171 (27,7%) female patients. Patients ages were between 18 and 82 (average 47,8 ± 11.6). There were 188 (30,3 %) patients in the normal group, 198 patients in mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome group (31,9 %), 99 patients in moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome group (15,9 %) and 134 patients in severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome group (21,6 %). Although Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were especially high, in the severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome group, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were not statistically significiant to distinguish the mild, moderate and severe groups from the normal group. The length of the uvula was effective to distinguish the mild apnea group from the normal group when the adjustments were made according to the biological factors such as age, sex, body mass index and neck circumference. The tonsillar size was the only parameter to distinguish the moderate group from the normal group and the tonsillar size and the width of the posterior plica were both effective to distinguish the normal group from the severe group when the adjustments were made according to the biological factors such as age, sex, body mass index and neck circumference.
Conclusion: There was a correlation between AHI and ENT examination. Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were high in the severe group but the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were not statistically significiant to distinguish the mild, moderate and severe groups from the normal group. With the results of our patients who are generally overweight, the utility of ENT examination were shown to be useful for patient selection for polysomnography in Turkey.
Keywords : Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, Diagnostic Tests, Routine, Physical Examination