The eating attitudes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Examining the relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea and eating behaviours and attitudes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Between 60 and 90% of adults with OSA are reported as overweight. The co-existence of obesity and OSA can greatly increase an individual's risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. To better understand this relationship between OSA and weight, this review aimed to investigate if there is evidence of certain eating behaviours or eating attitudes that might be found in adults living with OSA.

METHODS

We searched four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo and Web of Science) on January 17th, 2022, to identify studies assessing the association between eating patterns and OSA in adults. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis was conducted on the included studies, following the vote-counting method.

RESULTS

There is preliminary evidence that the time of day when calories are consumed is associated with lower OSA severity. No other clear patterns of eating behaviours or attitudes were identified however this may be due to disparity within research studies and their reported results.

CONCLUSION

Further research is needed to examine the relationship between eating times and OSA severity. We recommend standardising the approach to examining the eating patterns of those living with OSA and the relationship that this might have on OSA symptoms as well as looking at attitudes towards food in this population. This may prove helpful in providing a better understanding of the relationship between OSA and persons with overweight and help in future intervention development.

Serum bicarbonate level improves specificity of Berlin Sleep Questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea

Several questionnaires have been developed to assist the diagnostic process in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Berlin Sleep Questionnaire (BSQ) represents a validated screening tool for OSAS. Totally 450 patients admitted to the Sleep Center at Dicle University Medical Faculty were included prospectively. A risk analysis was performed for presence of OSAS using the BSQ. Arterial blood gas measurements were performed including bicarbonate (HCO3) level. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of BSQ for presence of OSAS and severe OSAS were determined. In patients with arterial HCO₃ >24.94 mEq/L; sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV, of the BSQ were 93.04, 57.1, 98.3, and 23.5%, respectively. The addition of arterial HCO₃ value increased the sensitivity of the BSQ in detecting OSAS patients. Although the cost of sleep studies is high for false positives from the BSQ plus arterial HCO3 level, this cost should be compared with the loss of work efficiency and severe healthcare costs of undiagnosed cases in the future. Therefore, finding possible OSAS cases in primary care health centers is important and adding serum HCO3 value to BSQ questionnaire may contribute to this topic.

Association of socio-demographic, behavioral, and comorbidity-related factors with severity of periodontitis in Turkish patients

Objective: To assess the prevalence of comorbidities and periodontal diseases severity in dental patients and to determine the socio-demographic, behavioral, and comorbidity-related predictors of periodontal diseases severity.Material and methods: This retrospective study sample consisted of 2458 patients who referred to faculty dentistry clinic. Socio-demographic, behavioral, and comorbidity characteristics of study participants were collected using hospital database and self-reported questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were used to analyze study data.Results: Of these patients, 55.2% had mild-to-moderate periodontitis and 44.8% had severe periodontitis. The severity of periodontal disease was significantly associated with the presence of comorbidity, the number of comorbidities, age, gender, income level, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Patients with severe periodontitis were more likely being a current smoker, to report drinking alcohol sometimes or every day, to be a male, to have a pulmonary disease, to have an endocrinological and metabolic disorder, to have a cardiovascular disorder and to have a neurological disorder than those with mild/moderate periodontitis. Having a hematological disorder, having a muscle, skeletal and connective tissue disorder, to be a current smoker and lower age were found to be predictors of moderate periodontitis whereas being a female and lower number of comorbidities were predictors of mild periodontitis.Conclusions: The severity of periodontitis was associated with socio-demographic, behavioral, and comorbidity characteristics of periodontal patients.