%0 Journal Article %A Al Ansari, A. %A Al-Saey, Hamad %A Al-Sulaiti, Mansour %A Ganesan, S. %A Abdul Sattar, H. %A Balamurugam, P. %A Philipose, M. V. %T Body Mass Index (BMI) and Neck Circumference (NC) in Diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea %D 2007 %J Qatar Medical Journal, %V 2007 %N 1 %@ 2227-0426 %C 15 %R https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2007.1.15 %K Obesity %K Obstructive sleep apnea %K neck circumference %I Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), %X Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder for which obesity is a major risk factor. It has been suggested that the circumference of the neck (NC) is more predictive of OS A than general obesity assessed by the Body Mass Index (BMI). In the National Tertiary Center for Sleep Study, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar; 187 patients were studied to evaluate the usefulness of NC and BMI in diagnosing OSA and in selecting patients for overnight polysomnography (PSG). Eighty patients (42.8%), 69 males and 11 females with higher mean age, had evidence of significant OSA (RDI > 15 events/h sleep). OSA was found more in the non-Qatari (n = 57, 553%) than the Qatari's (n = 23, 27.4%). NC mean levels were more in OSA group (41.51 ± 3.12) than non OSA group (39.57 ± 4.35) but, classifying obese as BMI = 30, there was no significant difference in the BMI of apneic and non-apneic groups. The study suggest that OSA is more common in males and NC correlates well in predicting OSA compared to generalized obesity/BMI has no clinical relevance in diagnosing OSA. %U https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2007.1.15