A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities
Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a common condition, associated with multiple comorbidities including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. It has been previously established that SDB is more prevalent in men than women, shifting the literature’s focus away from the latter populatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2003 |
| _version_ | 1827638120210759680 |
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| author | Margaret Bublitz Nour Adra Leen Hijazi Fidaa Shaib Hrayr Attarian Ghada Bourjeily |
| author_facet | Margaret Bublitz Nour Adra Leen Hijazi Fidaa Shaib Hrayr Attarian Ghada Bourjeily |
| author_sort | Margaret Bublitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a common condition, associated with multiple comorbidities including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. It has been previously established that SDB is more prevalent in men than women, shifting the literature’s focus away from the latter population. As such, underdiagnosis, and thus undertreatment, of SDB in women exists. Methods: To establish the differences in prevalence, clinical presentation, and pathophysiology of SDB between the two sexes, a narrative review of the current literature was performed. Results: Rates of SDB are higher among men, likely driven by differences in symptom presentation between men and women, with women presenting with more “atypical” symptoms, and lack of sensitivity in SDB screening tools to detect SDB in women. In addition to the cardiovascular risks of SDB, women with SDB may have worse quality of life, higher prevalence of insomnia, and respiratory issues. Discussion: More research is needed to better define the unique pathophysiology and clinical presentation of SDB in women. In addition, an increased awareness among health care providers and the lay public of the SDB-specific sex and gender differences will serve to minimize disparities in identification and treatment of SDB in women. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8980824a27fb41708b281557cd3371d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-8980824a27fb41708b281557cd3371d12023-11-24T16:11:54ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-12-011212200310.3390/life12122003A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and OpportunitiesMargaret Bublitz0Nour Adra1Leen Hijazi2Fidaa Shaib3Hrayr Attarian4Ghada Bourjeily5Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USAFaculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonFaculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, LebanonDepartment of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USADepartment of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USADepartment of Medicine, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USAIntroduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a common condition, associated with multiple comorbidities including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. It has been previously established that SDB is more prevalent in men than women, shifting the literature’s focus away from the latter population. As such, underdiagnosis, and thus undertreatment, of SDB in women exists. Methods: To establish the differences in prevalence, clinical presentation, and pathophysiology of SDB between the two sexes, a narrative review of the current literature was performed. Results: Rates of SDB are higher among men, likely driven by differences in symptom presentation between men and women, with women presenting with more “atypical” symptoms, and lack of sensitivity in SDB screening tools to detect SDB in women. In addition to the cardiovascular risks of SDB, women with SDB may have worse quality of life, higher prevalence of insomnia, and respiratory issues. Discussion: More research is needed to better define the unique pathophysiology and clinical presentation of SDB in women. In addition, an increased awareness among health care providers and the lay public of the SDB-specific sex and gender differences will serve to minimize disparities in identification and treatment of SDB in women.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2003sleep disordered breathingobstructive sleep apneagender differencessex characteristics |
| spellingShingle | Margaret Bublitz Nour Adra Leen Hijazi Fidaa Shaib Hrayr Attarian Ghada Bourjeily A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities Life sleep disordered breathing obstructive sleep apnea gender differences sex characteristics |
| title | A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities |
| title_full | A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities |
| title_fullStr | A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities |
| title_short | A Narrative Review of Sex and Gender Differences in Sleep Disordered Breathing: Gaps and Opportunities |
| title_sort | narrative review of sex and gender differences in sleep disordered breathing gaps and opportunities |
| topic | sleep disordered breathing obstructive sleep apnea gender differences sex characteristics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2003 |
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