Obstructive sleep apnea risk for driving license applicants in India – A community based study
Objectives To determine the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for male permanent driving license (DL) applicants of Lucknow, India. Material and Methods In this cross-sectional community based, study body mass index, waist–hip ratio, blood pressure of each subject were determined as an anthropo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine
2018-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.journalssystem.com/ijomeh/Obstructive-sleep-apnea-risk-in-driving-license-applicants-in-India-a-community-based-study,65753,0,2.html |
| Summary: | Objectives
To determine the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for male permanent driving license (DL) applicants of
Lucknow, India.
Material and Methods
In 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 OSA
risk (high OSA risk defined by score ≥ 3) for 542 male DL recipients at 2 Regional Transport Office (RTO) centers in
Lucknow, India. The statistical software SPSS 17.0 was applied to the testing.
Results
In total 23% (N = 125) of participants
were found with the risk of OSA. High blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mm Hg) was found for the maximum number of
participants (40.5%) followed by neck circumference > 40 cm (17.1%), age (> 50 years old) (15.3%), snoring (12.3%) and
tired/sleepy (10.5%). Mean values of age, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were observed significantly
higher (p < 0.001) for participants with the OSA risk. In this population the risk of OSA risk (STOP-Bang score ≥ 3) was
observed for 6.7% of young ( 45 years old).
Conclusions
In view of findings of this study a high number of male driving license applicants were observed with the risk
of OSA. Therefore efforts should be made to develop a national screening guideline/protocol for the OSA risk assessment
for driving license applicants in India. This may reduce the possibility of road traffic accidents due to the OSA-associated
fatigue and drowsiness behind the wheels. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):25–36 |
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| ISSN: | 1232-1087 1896-494X |