Difference in Sleep Apnea Pattern According to Body Mass Index (BMI): A Cohort Study in a Tertiary Care Center-Rawalpindi

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) using polysomnography (PSG) insymptomatic Pakistani patients and assess its association with demographic factors (age, sex, BMI) and obesity.Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Pulmonology and Sleep Studies,Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan from April 2021 to April 2023.Methods: A total of 577 clinically suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients underwent sleep studies in oursleep study departments using Convenience Sampling. Polysomnography (PSG) was carried out with the PhilipsRespironics Alice Night One device using 1 RIP effort belt and a pressure-based flow sensor. Heart rate, oxygensaturation, apnea (Mixed, Central, Obstructive), hypopnea episodes, and Apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) wererecorded in all individuals. AHI > 5 was cut off for diagnosis of OSA, as all symptomatic patients were included inthis study. The patients with AHI>5 were further divided into three groups: Mild Apnea/hypopnea index (AHI 5-15), Moderate Apnea/hypopnea index (AHI 15-30), and Severe (AHI >30). Chi-square tests were used for theanalysis of data.Results: 577 clinically suspected OSA patients were included in this study, among whom 379 (65.7%) weremales and 198 (34.3%) were females. The Mean age of patients was 50.23 (SD- 12.56), and the mean BMI was33.06 (SD -6.52). There was no significant relationship between gender and obesity seen in our study. Patientswith higher BMI exhibited a significant positive correlation (P-value <0.001).Conclusion: Higher BMI showed a direct relationship with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, manifestedby a higher apnea hypopnea index and increased duration and severity of desaturation. How to cite this: Ali K, Arshad AA, Imran M, Khaliq A, Rashid A, Raza H. Difference in Sleep Apnea Pattern According to Body Mass Index (BMI): A Cohort Study in a Tertiary Care Center-Rawalpindi. Life and Science. 2025; 6(2): 261-265. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.414