Sleep apnea among individuals with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-associated lung disease

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

PURPOSE: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition that has high rates of associated COPD. We explored whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis, excessive sleepiness, and OSA risk scores differ by AATD genotype. PROCEDURES: A cross-sectional survey was completed by individuals with AATD-associated lung disease. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association of genotype and other participant characteristics with: 1) self-reported OSA diagnosis, 2) excessive sleepiness measured by Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and 3) risk of OSA measured by STOP-BAG. We also examined whether characteristics such as body mass index (BMI) differ by genotype, using chi-square tests. RESULTS: (17.86 % vs 8.31 %, p < 0.001) and were more likely to have smoked ≥40 pack-years (29.60 % vs 8.16 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals with AATD-associated lung disease, OSA is highly prevalent. Differential OSA prevalence by genotype in the AATD population may be driven by health behaviors such as smoking and weight management. Direct comparison to populations without AATD is needed to define if AATD directly contributes to OSA risk.