Am I at risk?

Am I at risk?

Strange question isn't it? We may all have experienced snoring, being often tired during the day… but could it be sleep apnea? 

Sleep apnea, which is a serious breathing disorder, is too often unrecognized - In fact, did you know that 80% of people are unaware they suffer from it (1) ?

 

It affects almost 1 billion people worldwide (2) with up to 50% of the general adult male population(3) and 23% of the general adult female population [4].

 

Some factors predispose to have this disorder: being male, overweight, over the age of 50, having a large neck size, a small jaw bone or having a family history of sleep apnea are risk factors (3).

With this simple test, known as the Berlin questionnaire(6), we can help assess your risk of suffering from Sleep Apnea. 10 questions about snoring, sleepiness and risk factors such as obesity and hypertension.

Remember, the results of this test are not a diagnosis. We invite you to share the result with your doctor, who will be able to interpret them and to let you know if steps need to be taken. 

Don’t worry, you will have the possibility to download your test, when finished so you can easily share it. 

 

References

  1. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea – A guide for GPs – British Lung Foundation (NHS)
  2. Benjafield Adam V et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Lancet Respir Med. 2019;7(8):687-698. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5
  3. Tufik S, Santos-Silva R, Taddei JA, Bittencourt LRA. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome n the Sao Paulo epidemiologic sleep study. Sleep Med 2010;11:441–6.
  4. Heinzer R, Vat S, Marques-Vidal P, et al. Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing inthe general population: the HypnoLaus study. Lancet Resp Med 2015;3:310–8.
  5. Sleep breathing disorders – European Respiratory Society WhiteBook (chapter 23)
  6. Netzer NC et al. Using the Berlin Questionnaire to identify patients at risk for sleep apnea syndrome. Ann Intern Med 1999;131(7):485‑ 91.