Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Type 2 Diabetes Patients - Questionnaires Are Not Good Enough.

The shorter life expectancy of patients with type 2 diabetes caused by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases compels clinicians to make a systematic effort to address traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia, obesity, and smoking. However, another major cardiovascular risk factor substantially influencing the quality and length of life – obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) – is frequently overlooked. OSA is characterized by a repetitive upper airway obstruction during sleep leading to intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation. Numerous epidemiological studies have proved that untreated OSA represents an independent risk factor significantly increasing all cause as well as cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and cancer mortality (1–7). The importance of OSA is underscored by its considerable prevalence ranging from 5 to 10% in the general population and is even higher in the population of type 2 diabetes patients where a prevalence of ~70% was reported (8–10). Furthermore, ~90% of all subjects suffering from moderate or severe OSA remain undiagnosed (11).