Obstructive sleep apnea risk for driving license applicants in India – A community based study

Objectives: To determine the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for male permanent driving license (DL) applicants of Lucknow, India. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional community based, study body mass index, waist–hip ratio, blood pressure of each subject were determined as an anthropometric parameter along with the history of habit of smoking, tobacco chewing, alcohol consumption. STOP-Bang (Snoring, Tired or sleepy, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck, Gender) Questionnaire – a scoring risk assessment tool – was applied for assessment of OSA risk (high OSA risk defined by score ≥ 3) for 542 male DL recipients at 2 Regional Transport Office (RTO) centers in Lucknow, India. The statistical software SPSS 17.0 was applied to the testing. Results: In total 23% (N = 125) of participants were found with the risk of OSA. High blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mm Hg) was found for the maximum number of participants (40.5%) followed by neck circumference > 40 cm (17.1%), age (> 50 years old) (15.3%), snoring (12.3%) and tired/sleepy (10.5%). Mean values of age, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were observed significantly higher (p < 0.001) for participants with the OSA risk. In this population the risk of OSA risk (STOP-Bang score ≥ 3) was observed for 6.7% of young (< 35 years old), 34% of middle (35–45 years old) and 73% of elder age adults (> 45 years old). Conclusions: In view of findings of this study a high number of male driving license applicants were observed with the risk of OSA. Therefore efforts should be made to develop a national screening guideline/protocol for the OSA risk assessment for driving license applicants in India. This may reduce the possibility of road traffic accidents due to the OSA-associated fatigue and drowsiness behind the wheels.