Page 31 - Portuguese Journal - SPORL - Vol 61. Nº1

Prevalence and characteristics of

positional OSA, a retrospective study

Original Article

Authors Abstract
Objectives: To compare the prevalence of
Ricardo São Pedro Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnea (P-OSA) based
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal on different definitions and to identify the main
factors independently associated with P-OSA and
Filipa Ferreira exclusive POSA (Pe-OSA).
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal Study Design: Retrospective study.
Cláudia Santos Material and Methods: Analysis of the type 3
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal polysomnography (PSG) recordings of adult
patients performed between 2020 and 2021 at
Henrique Teixeira the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Hospital
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal Garcia de Orta. P-OSA was defined by APOC
criteria and Pe-OSA was defined as APOC I.
Helena Rosa Results: 245 PSG were evaluated, with a mean
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal age of 57 years and 64.9% of male patients. The
prevalence of P-OSA was 55.5%, 38% of whom
Mário Santos had Pe-OSA. Patients with P-OSA were younger
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal
(OR=0.971), slept mostly in the supine position
Luís Antunes (OR=1.031), had lower Body Mass Index (BMI)
Hospital Garcia de Orta, Portugal (OR=0.882), Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI), oxygen
desaturation index (OR=0.964), mean desaturation
drop, and shorter snoring time (p<0.05). The most
significant predictors of Pe-OSA were a lower
oxygen desaturation index (OR=0.879) and longer
time in the supine position (OR=1.031).
Conclusions: Patients with P-OSA and Pe-OSA
are younger, less obese and have less severe
conditions, being respectively candidates for
improvement or resolution of their disease using
positioners.
Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea; OSA;
Positional;

Introduction
Positional obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
(P-OSAS) is a subtype of OSAS that includes
patients whose apnea and hypopnea tend
to occur more frequently in certain sleep
positions, mainly in the supine position .
1
Several definitions of P-OSAS have been
Correspondência: proposed since 1984, although none are
Ricardo São Pedro widely accepted in the scientific community.
Ricardo.sp2018@gmail.com The first author to characterize P-OSAS more

Article received on July 19, 2022. extensively was Cartwright, who defined it
Accepted for publication on October 18, 2022. as OSAS patients who had at least twice the

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