Briefs

This study is the first to employ the novel approach of data mining to reveal the complex clinical patterns of OSA in a large clinical dataset

Westchester, Ill. A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the first to show the full clinical picture of comorbid conditions associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), quantify their frequency of occurrence and reveal their possible interrelationships.

Results show that the number of cases of OSA peaks between the ages of 0-4 years, is low during adolescence, and then rises from 25-29 years to a peak at 55-59 years. The rates are slightly higher for girls than boys in the 0-4 age group (9.4% and 6.7%) and the 5-9 age group (6.0% and 3.9%), and the occurrence rate in males is higher than in females after 20-24 years of age.

According to the study's co-author,Chin Moi Chow , PhD, Senior of health sciences, at the University of Sydney, this study will have a significant impact on the understanding of the disease pattern of OSA and conditions associated with it.

Read more.