Clinical Prediction Model for Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Adult Patients with Habitual Snoring

ObjectiveTo identify standard clinical parameters that may predict the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA).DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary academic medical center.Subjects and MethodsA total of 325 adult patients (274 men and 51 women; mean age, 44.2 years) with habitual snoring completed comprehensive polysomnography and anthropometric measurements, including modified Mallampati grade (also known as updated Friedman’s tongue position [uFTP]), tonsil size grading, uvular length, neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, and body mass index (BMI).ResultsWhen the aforementioned physical parameters were correlated singly with the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), we found that sex, uFTP, tonsil size grading, neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, thyroid-mental distance, and BMI grade were reliable predictors of OSA. When all important factors were considered in a multiple stepwise regression analysis, an estimated AHI ...