Risk Factors

For Obstructive Sleep Apnea

 

Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

 

  • Worsens with increasing age with one out of 25 middle-aged men and one out of 50 middle-aged women affected by it.
  • Obesity with a BMI (body mass index) greater than 25
  • 17-inch neck
  • Rapid weight gain*
  • Family history of disordered sleep and high blood pressure
  • Alcohol and medications contributing to muscle relaxation and airway obstruction
  • Craniofacial structure — persons generally have a high and narrow palate, elongated soft palate, small jaw and an abnormal overjet
  • Enlarged tonsils and adenoids
  • Race — higher incidence of obstructive sleep apnea in African Americans, Mexican Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asians

*Note: 50% of people who suffer from OSA are of normal weight