International Conference on Neurological disorder and Neuroimmunology
Montreal, Canada
Yazan Chaikh
University of Sharjah, UAE
Title: The prevalence of snoring and its risk factors in adults in the UAE
Biography
Biography: Yazan Chaikh
Abstract
Snoring is increasingly being recognized as a public health concern with serious health consequences, but little information regarding its specific risk factors is known. Our main objective was to determine the prevalence of snoring among adults (20-60 years) in Sharjah and assess the major risk factors as well as the general knowledge among the population. A selfadministrated questionnaire that included both the Berlin and Epworth scales was given to a randomly selected population in Sharjah between the ages of 20-60 years. Data was analyzed using SPSS 22.0. 34.2% (n=139) of our population was reported to be as snorers, 45.5% (n=185) were non-snorers and 20.4% (n=83) didn’t know whether they snored or not. 43.2% of snorers were at high risk for sleep apnea based on the berlin questionnaire. Gender (P=0.038) was also significantly associated with snoring as 40.8% of males were reported as snorers while only 28.7% of the females were reported as snorers. The elderly (50-60 years) were at a higher risk than the younger ages as well as obese people (BMI>30) in which, 46.8% (n=49) of them reported snoring. Those who scored higher on the Epworth scale were more likely to be snorers (P=0.001) and were likely to fall into the high risk category in the Berlin (p=0.035). In addition, smokers, chronic conditions like nasal septal deviation (15.1% (n=61)), hypertension (n=31) and diabetes (4% (n=16)) were also the risk factors. Prevalence and major risk factors within the UAE are similar to that in other countries. Campaigns should be held to raise awareness about habitual snoring and its risk factors.