DIAGNÓSTICO PRECOZ, SEGUIMIENTO Y CONTROL DEL PACIENTE CON SÍNDROME DE APNEAS-HIPOPNEAS DURANTE EL SUEÑO

Sleep apnoea-hipoapnoea syndrome (SAHS) is defined by excessive daytime sleepiness, and cognitive-behavioural, respiratory, cardiac, metabolic or inflammatory disorders, secondary to repetitive episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. These episodes are assessed with the respiratory alteration index (RAI), defined by the number of apnoeas, hipoapnoeas and REAM (respiratory effort associated to micro arousals). A RAI� 5, together with disease symptoms not explained by other causes, confirms the diagnosis of SAHS. In practice, the number of patients diagnosed of SAHS depends on appropriate technical resources availability, and on the number and accessibility to sleep laboratories. The role of primary care physicians is fundamental as much for the diagnosis as for the follow-up and control of patients suffering from SAHS. SAHS diagnosis starts with a compatible clinical history and, although there are not specific SAHS symptoms, there are 3 key symptoms to suppose the diagnosis: laboured snoring, asphyxiating breaks and excessive daytime sleepiness or no refreshing sleep. Patients identified in primary care suspicious of a SAHS diagnosis must be sent to a Sleep Unit following specific derivation criteria: preferential, urgent or ordinary. Primary care physicians should play an important role in the follow-up of SAHS patients. They should pay attention to hygienic-dietary measures and assess the degree of both, performance and efficacy, of the treatment with continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) and the development of side effects.