Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea risk and its association with anthropometric indices of cardiometabolic risks and cognition in young and middle-aged adults

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), an often underdiagnosed and undertreated sleep-related breathing disorder, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Hence, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of OSA risk and its association with anthropometric indices (AI) of cardiometabolic risks, domain-specific cognitive functions and quality of sleep in apparently healthy young and middle-aged adults. One hundred and eighty-nine apparently healthy individuals (123 males and 66 females) aged 19–45 years were included in this cross-sectional study. The participant’s current risk of OSA was assessed using the STOP-Bang questionnaire, and AI indicative of cardiometabolic risk (body mass index, waist-hip ratio [W/H ratio], waist-height ratio [WHtR], conicity index and a body shape index) was assessed using standard techniques. Domain-specific cognitive tests were performed to assess the cognitive status of the individual. Quality of sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The correlation between the OSA risk score and the study parameters was assessed using the Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient test. The prevalence of high current risk of moderate to severe OSA was found to be 12.7%. Significant positive correlations were observed between OSA risk score and W/H, WHtR and sleep quality scores. While a significant positive correlation was observed between OSA risk score and executive functioning, significant negative correlations were observed with the other cognitive tests (short-term memory, verbal fluency, visuospatial memory and sustained attention and response speed). A high risk of moderate to severe OSA is associated with obesity, cognitive decline and poor sleep quality in apparently healthy young and middle-aged adults.