Validation of the Spanish Version of the STOP-Bang Questionnaire: Usefulness as a Screening Tool for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults

Abstract

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an increasing health problem, the diagnosis of which is generally delayed due to long waiting lists for the tests used to identify it. Therefore, tools that help on classifying patients at higher risk of suffering this syndrome have been developed. Methods: One hundred ninety-three consecutive patients, with and without OSAS, filled in the Spanish version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire in Hospital Universitario de Torrejón (Spain). Polysomnographies were performed to diagnose the presence and severity of the OSAS. Statistics analysis of the demographic characteristics of the sample and the questionnaire results was performed. Results: Most patients were male (73%) and the mean age was 50.4 years (ranging from 19-77 years). Cronbach α coefficient in the sample was 0.8072. A statistically significant difference was noted in the questionnaire scores between patients with OSAS and those without the syndrome. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire possess a good internal consistency that allows us to rely on it as a screening tool for patients with OSAS. In our sample, a difference in the questionnaire score was appreciated between patients with and without the syndrome, which strongly supports the utility of the questionnaire for its purpose.