Apnea-hypopnea index in active university students with a BMI =25

Introduction: Overweight and obesity have been proposed as risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea in the general population. Moreover, physical exercise has been proposed as an alternative treatment for reducing apneas during sleep. In a previous study, a prevalence of 5% with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >5 was reported in university students with a body mass index (BMI) <25. The objective of this study was to evaluate if in a risk group the perform permanent physical activity reduces the risk of presenting apnea-hypopneas during sleep. Method: Physically active university students (PAUS) with a BMI ≥25 that perform physical exercise at least three days a week were invited to participate. They were included those presented moderate or vigorous physical activity by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and with a BMI ≥25. Anthropometric characteristics, Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and respiratory polygraphy were evaluated. Were used non-parametric statistics. Results: Were evaluated 17 volunteers (12 men). The age was 29.4 (27.3-33.3), BMI of 29.0 (27.1-33.2) and AHI of 2.1 (1.4-4.9). Four subjects (23,5%) had an AHI>5 (with a median of 14.3/hr). The AHI value was correlated with the BMI (r = 0.57, p = 0.008), waist circumference (r = 0.47, p = 0.02). The subgroup with AHI>5 had a larger neck circumference (40.5 vs. 37.0, p = 0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of AHI>5 in PAUS with a BMI ≥25 was higher than data prevalence of Chilean population. The AHI correlated directly with the BMI, and the waist circumference and the subgroup with AHI>5 had greater neck circumference. Will be important monitoring of anthropometric variables in a risk population.