Effectiveness of the STOP-BANG Questionnaire in Screening of Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients are often asymptomatic and can go misdiagnosed and untreated. Polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard for diagnosis of OSAHS is costly and accessibility is limited. It is imperative that there will be available simple but accurate screening instruments to identify high-risk patients with this illness. So, this study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the STOP-BANG questionnaire in screening of OSAHS.

Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among suspected 127 of OSAHS patients. The subjects were selected purposively and semi-structured data collection form was used to obtain information that included STOP-BANG questionnaire. All the participants went through PSG in the sleep study lab at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and their Apnoea Hypopnea Index (AHI) were determined. Statistical analyses for determining association and correlation of STOP-BANG score and AHI were performed with SPSS version 26.0. A p value of <.05 was considered as significant. ROC curve was plotted and used to find out the sensitivity, specificity of STOP-BANG scoring.

Results: Significant association and positive correlation between the STOP- BANG score and the AHI score were established (p <0.001 in both situations). The corelation coefficient (r) was 0.745. A STOP-BANG cut-off ³3 had sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 81.42%, 64.29%, 94.84%, 30% and 83.42% for predicting OSAHS (AHI ³5). A cut-off STOP-Bang score ³4 had sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 72%, 82.69%, 85.71%, 67.18% and 85.18% for predicting severe OSAHS (AHI > 30).

Conclusion: The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a very effective screening tool for patients suspected with OSAHS.

J Dhaka Med Coll. 2025; 34(2) : 77-83