Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep related breathing disorder defined as repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. One of the major risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea is obesity.

Aim

To assess the risk of obstructive sleep apnea among type 2 diabetic patients at National Guard Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

The STOP-BANG sleep apnea screening questionnaire was used in this study. The sample size is of 171 participants. A cross-sectional study was performed at National Guard Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A study sample of 171 was included. A STOP-BANG questionnaire formed of eight questions was used to assess the risk of OSA among type 2 diabetic patients. Score of the questionnaire was divided into three groups: Low risk (from 0 to 2 points), intermediate risk (from 3 to 4 points) and high risk (from 5 to 8 points).

Results

Of all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the study, 9.4 per cent had low risk, 18.7 per cent had intermediate risk and 71.7 per cent had high risk for OSA. There was no significant correlation between the score and last fasting blood sugar and HbA1c’s level, with p-values of 0.554 and 0.335, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the type of treatment and the risk of developing OSA (p