Introduction of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

One third of a person's life is spent on sleep. However, according to the latest survey conducted by the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine, more than 10% of Taiwan's population, about 2.3 million people, suffers from sleep apnea (OSA). However, 90% of patients are not diagnosed, and this may become a "sleep issue" in the future.
Common symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) include snoring, daytime sleepiness, memory deterioration, emotional ups and downs, and frequent nightmares, etc. As the name suggests, OSA is a condition in which the patient stops breathing during sleep, leading to long-term oxygen deprivation, affecting blood pressure, brain and cardiovascular function, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebral stroke, diabetes, and so forth.

Nowadays, the diagnostic criteria for OSA, published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), are followed worldwide. Based on the respiratory events and blood oxygen concentration during the sleep test as the evaluation criteria, mild to severe sleep apnea is determined according to the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and associated clinical symptoms.
*Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): the combined average number of apneas and hypopneas that occur per hour of sleep.

STOP-BANG Score for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The STOP-Bang Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk Assessment consists of questions related to the clinical signs of sleep apnea, and this questionnaire is widely used in clinics. If you answer “yes” to “three or more” questions, you are at risk for OSA and further screening is recommended.

Source
1. udn health
2. Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine
3. American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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