Sleep apnea syndrome in diabetic patients

M. Culman1, C. Serafinceanu, A. Mihai1, C. Sasu, E. H. Fayssal, S. Culman, C. Guja1

Abstract: Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) represents an important co-morbidity in diabetic patients that is frequently under-diagnosed. If left untreated, SAS significantly increases their morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of SAS in diabetic subjects admitted in the clinical wards of the National Institute of Diabetes “NC Paulescu” and to identify clinical and laboratory parameters correlated with the presence of SAS. The study group comprised 101 diabetic subjects aged 22-81 years. Continuous nocturnal pulse oximetry was used in order to identify desaturation events suggestive of SAS. Overall 47.5% of patients presented with oxygen saturation patterns suggestive for SAS. The main predictors were age and weight, with the highest prevalence recorded in male subjects aged 50-69 years and with BMI 30-35 kg/m2. Despite the fact that continuous nocturnal pulse oximetry is only a surrogate indicator for SAS, its low cost and simplicity allow its large scale use in order to identify subjects at high risk and their referral to specialized polysomnography centers
Keywords: sleep apnea syndrome, diabetes, impaired driving.