We studied the feasibility of a home-based screening sleep test (HBSST), the validity of four questionnaires used to screen for sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs), and the potential association between SRBD and clinical features in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Adults with subacute/chronic (>1 month post-injury) SCI were recruited for the cross-sectional study and qualitative analysis. Feasibility of the HBSST was objectively evaluated and participants shared their experience. We also examined the validity of the Berlin, STOP, Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale [MOS-SS], and STOP-Bang screening questionnaires. We investigated the association between the degree of SRBD and three features (i.e., neck circumference, body mass index [BMI] and oropharynx opening as assessed using the Modified Mallampati classification [MMC]).
There were 13 females and 18 males with ages varying from 20 to 86 years (mean age: 54.7 years) with motor complete (n=8) or incomplete SCI at cervical (n=21) or thoraco-lumbar levels. Time since SCI varied from 1.5 to 474 months. Overall, 28 individuals completed the HBSST and endorsed its feasibility. Mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 17.3 events/hour (range: 0.5-83.7). AHI was significantly correlated with Berlin (p=0.036) and STOP-Bang scores (p=0.009). There was no significant correlation between AHI and MOS-SS (p=0.348) or STOP (p=0.165). AHI was not associated with neck circumference (p=0.614), BMI (p=0.958), or MMC (p=0.335).
Our results suggest that HBSST is a feasible screening method, and Berlin and STOP-Bang are valid screening questionnaires for the SCI population. AHI was not correlated with BMI, neck circumference, or MMC.
