Introduction: The impact of Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in worsening outcomes is profound, especially in the presence of comorbid conditions. This study aimed to describe the proportion of patients at a high risk of OSA in our practice setting.

Methods: The STOP BANG questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness scale were used to assess for OSA risk and excessive daytime sleepiness respectively. Hospitalized patients and out-patients were recruited. Intergroup differences in continuous variables were compared using the analysis of variance. The proportion of patients with high risk of OSA and excessive daytime sleepiness was presented as frequencies and group differences compared with the Pearson χ² test. Independent risk predictors for OSA were assessed in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results: A total of 1100 patients (53.4% females) participated in the study. Three hundred and ninety nine (36.3%) had a high risk of OSA, and 268 (24.4%) had excessive daytime sleepiness. Of the participants with high OSA risk, 138 (34.6%) had excessive daytime sleepiness compared to 130 (18.5%) of those with low OSA risk (p<0.0001). Age above 65 years, excessive daytime sleepiness, abdominal adiposity, resistant hypertension and high overall cardiovascular risk were independent determinants of a high OSA risk. The magnitude of risk associated with these independent predictors of high risk (Odds ratio) was highest for persons aged above 65 years, those with excessive day time sleepiness, and presence of abdominal adiposity.

Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients attending our tertiary care center are at high risk of OSA.