Abstract

BORSINI, Eduardo; NIGRO, Carlos  and  NOGUEIRA, Facundo. Indicadores de los estudios de diagnóstico de los trastornos respiratorios vinculados al sueño y el riesgo de la simplificación. Rev. am. med. respir. [online]. 2017, vol.17, n.1, pp.7-11. ISSN 1852-236X.

The latest data indicate that respiratory sleep disorders affect 15 to 20% of adults and 5 to 10% of children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) means a high impact epidemiologic entity with a growing demand in our daily clinical practice. To begin to solve this problem it is necessary to know the basic fundaments in the interpretation of diagnostic methods. Confirmation is required in suspected OSA. Guidelines from Argentinian Respiratory Medicine Society recognize polysomnography (PSG) as the standard diagnostic method and respiratory polygraphy (RP) as comparable method considering the clinical context of the patient. This article summarizes the dilemma of using apnea and hypopnea index (AHI) that defines the disease and is used to assess the severity. It is surprising that despite the amount of data being analyzed in a sleep study, attention is focused on this value. More than four decades have passed since the original description and our ability to simplification could put on risk the chances of a comprehensive understanding of OSA.

Keywords : Sleep apnea; Severity; AHI.

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