Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Brazilian Railroad Workers

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), is associated with sleepiness and, consequently, increased motor vehicle accidents for workers per shift. Studies have evaluated the prevalence of OSAS among professional drivers such as truck, bus and automobile drivers, but few studies have examined railroad workers. This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors for OSAS among railroad workers of a Brazilian company. Methods: Male railroads (745) from a railway company were analyzed after responding to questionnaires about their demographics, sleep habits, excessive daytime sleepiness and Berlin. We also performed polysomnography and measurements for anthropometric data. Results: 35.06% of the railroad workers presented with OSAS. These railroad workers were older (OSAS: 38.53±10.08 versus NOSAS: 33.94±8.92 years old), obese (27.70±4.38 versus 26.22±3.92 kg/m 2 ) and employed for a longer period of time (14.32±9.13 years versus NOSAS: 10.96±7.66 years). Among those with OSAS, 10.2% were smokers and 59.6% alcohol use. The associated risk factors were age [OR = 2.51 (95% CI = 1.76 - 3.57)], BMI [1.56 (1:04 - 2:34)] and a high chance of having sleep apnea as assessed by the Berlin [2:19 (1:49 - 3:21)]. Conclusion: The prevalence of OSAS in Brazilian railroad workers was higher than that observed in the general population. These results suggest that age, BMI, subjective self-reporting for having a high risk of developing apnea and alcohol use are associated with a higher risk of developing OSAS. These data reinforce the need to be more attentive to this population because they have a higher propensity to have accidents. Publication History Article published online: 26 May 2026 © 2011. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil