On the rise and fall of the apnea-hypopnea index: A historical review and critical appraisal.

On the rise and fall of the apnea-hypopnea index: A historical review and critical appraisal. J Sleep Res. 2020 May 14;:e13066 Authors: Pevernagie DA, Gnidovec-Strazisar B, Grote L, Heinzer R, McNicholas WT, Penzel T, Randerath W, Schiza S, Verbraecken J, Arnardottir ES Abstract The publication of "The Sleep Apnea Syndromes" by Guilleminault et al. in the 1970s hallmarked the discovery of a new disease entity involving serious health consequences. Obstructive sleep apnea was shown to be the most important disorder among the sleep apnea syndromes (SAS). In the course of time, it was found that the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea reached the proportions of a global epidemic, with a major impact on public health, safety and the economy. Early on, a metric was introduced to gauge the seriousness of obstructive sleep apnea, based on the objective measurement of respiratory events during nocturnal sleep. The apnea index and later on the apnea-hypopnea index, being the total count of overnight respiratory events divided by the total sleep time in hours, were embraced as principle measures to establish the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and to rate its severity. The current review summarises the historical evolution of the apnea-hypopnea index, which has been subject to many changes, and has been criticised for not capturing relevant clinical features of obstructive sleep apnea. In fact, the application of the apnea-hypopnea inde...
Source: Journal of Sleep Research - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Tags: J Sleep Res Source Type: research