Correlation anthropometrics in resistant hypertensive patients with diagnosis of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by a chronic and progressive disorder that is associated with cardiovascular diseases. Objective To correlate the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) with anthropometric parameters in patients of both sexes diagnosed with resistant arterial hypertension. Methods A total of 106 patients (57.5% women, mean age 61 ± 8 years) were evaluated, 41 with moderate OSA and 65 with severe OSA. The diagnosis of OSA was made by nocturnal polysomnography. The somatotype was determined and the waist circumference (WC), neck circumference (NC) and hip circumferences were measured, followed by the waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio and neck-to-height ratio (NHR). Height and body mass measurements were also collected to calculate the body mass index (BMI). Results Among the participants, 62% were obese, 64% had abdominal obesity and 25% had increased NC. The anthropometric variables that best correlated with AHI were WC (r = 0.325; p = 0.0006), BMI (r = 0.245; p = 0.0115) and NHR (r = 0.245; p = 0.0115) in both sexes. Among women, the best correlation was with WC (r = 0.281; p = 0.0285). Conclusion Anthropometric and body composition variables (WC, BMI, and NHR) are important for patients with OSA, including BMI in women, optimizing the screening of these patients for polysomnography.