Apnea symptoms more common in black women than in white women

In a study that examined the relationship between race, menopausal status and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (sleep apnea), middle-aged black women were found to be more likely to experience sleep apnea symptoms than their white counterparts.

The study’s author, Elizabeth Beothy of the University of Pennsylvania, administered a questionnaire to 269 subjects with an average age of 48. In the study group, almost 49½ percent of the women were black. Overall, 37½ percent of the women were were pre-menopausal, 43 percent in the menopausal transition, and 19.5 percent post-menopausal.

The mean apnea score among black women was nearly double that of white women, according to a research abstract presented by Beothy at Sleep 2007.

According to her findings, menopausal status was not a significant predictor of sleep apnea symptoms. Race remained a significant predictor of sleep apnea symptoms after adjustment for current body mass index (BMI).

"Although menopausal status did not predict sleep apnea symptoms, sleep apnea symptoms on our cohort of menopausal women increased with higher BMI and larger BMI increases over time," said Beothy.

She noted that studies to document whether sleep apnea is more common among black women than white women should be performed to further investigate these findings.

sleep apnea affects an estimated 20 million Americans, as well as millions more who remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Scientific evidence shows that CPAP or BiPAP, depending on the patient’s needs, is the best treatment for sleep apnea. CPAP or BiPAP devices help alleviate, and, in most cases, prevent apneic events by maintaining a patent, or well-maintained airway during sleep, ensuring the person has few, if any, apneic events during sleep.

This airflow, in addition to preventing the apneas, also helps maintain normal oxygen levels. Apnea is a Greek word, meaning "without breath," and clinically, for an event to be classified as an apnea, breathing must cease completely for at least 10 seconds five or more times an hour.

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