Risk for obstructive sleep apnea in patients with bipolar disorder, prevalence from Kashmir

Background: An association exists between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and bipolar disorder (BD). The prevalence of OSA in BD has significantly increased during the past two decades. We aimed to assess the prevalence of risk for OSA in BD. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional, case-control study. Out of 218 participants enrolled in the study, 109 had BD and 109 were recruited for comparison in the control group. All the participants were asked to complete the Berlin Questionnaire, a self-assessment tool to establish the risk for OSA. Results: About two-thirds of the patients with BD were found to be at risk for OSA as compared to the 19.27% of prevalence in the control group. Patients of BD at high risk for OSA were males, had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), with comorbid physical illnesses, and in those who were on a combination of valproate and lithium in comparison to valproate alone. Conclusion: Patients with BD had significantly higher BMI in comparison to controls. In comparison to controls, significant higher percentage of patients with BD had higher risk for OSA in comparison to healthy controls. Our finding of over half of patients being in the high-risk range should be sufficient to sensitize clinicians and raise awareness concerning OSA in BD.