Association between Allergic Rhinitis-Related Factors and Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Korean Adults over 40: The 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019–2021)

Background:The prevalence of both obstructive sleep apnea and allergic rhinitis is high and these often co-exist.This study investigated the association between allergic rhinitis-related factors and the risk of sleep apnea in Korean adults.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 8,956 Korean adults aged 40 years or older who participated in the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2019 and 2021.Allergic rhinitis-related factors were divided into two categories: allergic rhinitis symptoms (symptoms) and prevalence of allergic disease (prevalence).Symptoms were investigated through a questionnaire and the prevalence of allergic disease was based on the doctor's diagnosis.The risk of sleep apnea was calculated through the STOP-Bang questionnaire (snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, gender), and a score of ≥3 is considered as a high-risk group.Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the effect of symptoms or prevalence on the risk of sleep apnea.Results: The risk of sleep apnea increased 1.26 times (95% confidential interval [CI], 1.10-1.44) in patients with symptoms and was higher in patients with severe rhinitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12-1.83).A higher risk of sleep apnea was associated with allergic disease, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02-1.66,adjusted for general characteristics).Conclusion: Severe allergic rhinitis symptoms and a history of allergic disease increased the risk of obstructive sleep apnea.