High Rates of Sleep Apnea in Women

Aug. 15, 2012 —

Science Daily/Umeå universitet

New research from Umeå and Uppsala universities has found high rates of sleep apnea in women, despite the condition usually being regarded as a disorder predominantly of males.

The results found that obstructive sleep apnea was present in 50% of women aged 20-70 years. The researchers also found links between age, obesity and hypertension: 80% of women with hypertension and 84% of obese women suffered from sleep apnea. Additionally, severe sleep apnea was present in 31% of obese women aged 55-70 years old.

Lead author Dr. Karl Franklin said: "We were very surprised to find such a high occurrence of sleep apnea in women, as it is traditionally thought of as a male disorder. These findings suggest that clinicians should be particularly aware of the association between sleep apnea and obesity and hypertension, in order to identify patients who could also be suffering from the sleeping disorder."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120816075411.htm