NATURAL EVOLUTION OF SNORING - A 5-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Introduction - The natural evolution of snoring was studied in a middl e-aged population in Finland. Material and methods - A questionnaire w as mailed to a stratified random sample of 1600 people aged 36-50 year s in 1985 with a response rate of 75.2%; 53% of them completed also th e 5-year-follow-up questionnaire. Clinical examinations (N = 36) and w hole-night polygraphic recordings (N = 22) were made to habitual (ever y or almost every night) snorers and daily sleepy persons. Results - A total of 626 persons completed the 5-year-follow-up questionnaire. Th e prevalence of habitual snoring among men was 28.3-43.8% and among wo men 6.3-18.8%, increasing with age. Sleepiness was common: doze-off at the wheel was reported by 23% of snorers and traffic accidents becaus e of sleepiness by 4.5%. Hypertension was clearly more common (p = 0.0 02) among habitual snorers, but the self-reported rates of strokes and coronary heart disease were not increased in this study. None of the snorers had been investigated because of their snoring or sleepiness d uring the five years. In polygraphic recordings 11/22 showed an oxygen desaturation index (ODI4) more than 5/h; active treatment was started for 8 of them. The observed prevalence of sleep apnea syndrome with O DI4 > 10 was 1.1% in this study. Conclusions - Snorers, even with clea r sleepiness, are passive in seeking help for their symptoms. Physicia ns should actively diagnose this treatable condition impairing the qua lity of life and increasing the risk of traffic accidents and vascular diseases.