Estimating The Risk Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Heart Failure Patients By Utilizing The Stop-bang Questionnaire From A National Database

• Published in: Journal of cardiac failure 2023-04, Vol.29 (4), p.589-589
• Main Authors: Latif, Zara, Makuvire, Tracy T, Tung, Patricia, Warraich, Haider
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1071-9164; 1532-8414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.10.107

Sleep apnea (SA) has been strongly associated with the progression of heart failure (HF). Patients with HF and SA have higher readmission rates and increased mortality. HF has been linked to both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea. Screening for OSA among HF patients is not widespread and prevalence of OSA symptoms among this population is not well elucidated in the literature. In this study, we aim to estimate the risk of OSA among patients with HF using a national database. We analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017-2020. NHANES is an annual survey across the United States that is conducted by trained medical personnel and is composed of health interviews and physician visits. In this study, we evaluated patient reported symptoms of OSA among those with reported HF. We used the STOP Bang questionnaire to estimate the risk of OSA in participants. STOP-Bang is a reliable screening tool for OSA composed of 8 questions related to snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, hypertension, BMI, age, neck circumference, and male gender. The total score ranges from 0-8 with patients classified as low risk if they score 0-2 while those scoring 3 or above are intermediate/high risk for OSA. The sensitivity of a STOP-Bang score ≥3 to detect moderate and severe OSA is 93% and 100% respectively. We performed descriptive statistics and logistic regression using STATA. A total of 361 participants reported having HF and were included in our analysis. Of the participants, 77% were 60 years of age and above, and 57% were male. Our sample was 46% White, 33% Black, 5% Mexican American, and 17% other race/ethnicities. Among participants with HF, 54% reported STOP-Bang scores greater than 3 (p