Is the Berlin questionnaire a useful tool to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in the elderly?

OBJECTIVE: In the elderly, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is frequently under diagnosed. This study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of the Berlin questionnaire to diagnose OSA in a large healthy elderly population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six hundred forty-three participants aged 65.6 years were examined. All subjects completed the Berlin questionnaire and underwent at-home respiratory recording. Presence of OSA was defined by an AHI>15. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 202 subjects (31.4%) were in an OSA high-risk group according to the Berlin questionnaire. The high-risk subjects were significantly heavier, had greater waist and hip circumferences, higher AHI, and reported more frequently hypertension and diabetes. Habitual snoring was present in 54% of the sample, sleepiness in 12% of participants, and a BMI>30 and a history of hypertension in 42.1%. Being in the high-risk group predicted an AHI>15 with a sensitivity of 77%, a specificity of 39%, a positive predictive value of 63% and a negative predictive value of 55%. Among Berlin questionnaire categories, snoring correctly classified 61% of the sample and explained the 5% variance of AHI. CONCLUSIONS: The Berlin questionnaire did not provide a high level of diagnostic specificity to discriminate OSA in an elderly population. Although not sufficiently accurate, this questionnaire can be used to identify subjects for sleep study assessment