Association of neck circumference with obstructive sleep apnoea in young adults: A cross sectional study

Prevalence of Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been increasing owing to increase in its risk factors. The pathophysiology of OSA is related to narrowing or obliteration of upper airway. Neck circumference (NC) is a measure which predicts the neck fat and hence narrowing of airway. Modified Berlin’s Questionnaire is a validated tool to assess the risk of OSA in Indian setting. The present study was designed to determine the association of NC with the risk of OSA in young adults. 1500 subjects of both genders between 18 to 30 years of age were recruited, their NC was measured and they were administered screening questionnaire first. Those who gave one or more positive response were administered modified Berlin questionnaire and risk of OSA was assessed and it was compared with NC. There was a significant increase in risk of OSA in subjects with higher NC with a cut off of 36 cm in males and 32 cm in females. NC is an important anthropometric measurement to predict risk of OSA.