Background: No data on snoring prevalence obtained with a standard questionnaire exist for France. Major nose-throat abnormalities have been demonstrated in cases with obstructive sleep apnea; evidence of ‘minor’ abnormalities in community studies is scarce. Objectives: The fist objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of habitual snoring in a sample of middle-aged active males in France. The second objective was to test the hypothesis that ‘minor’ nose-throat abnormalities could be associated with habitual snoring in a field survey. Methods: Three hundred thirty-four male employees of a local university volunteered for the study (93.6% of those contacted by mail); 300 returned a sleep questionnaire. The protocol also included anthropometry and a noninvasive nose-throat examination. Results: Complete data were obtained in 299 subjects aged 23–63 years. When ‘habitual snorers’ (= 32%) were compared with never-snorers, significant differences were found for all anthropometric variables, except height. In univariate analysis, habitual snoring was associated with a large number of variables, including a large soft palate, a large uvula, and altered nose patency. A logistic regression model retained 8 factors independently associated with snoring: age, neck circumference, tobacco consumption, breathing pauses during sleep, not feeling rested during the day, need for coffee to stay awake, blocked or running nose at night and a large soft palate. Conclusions: The prevalence of habitual snoring in this sample of middle-aged French males was 32%. We confirmed the significant association of habitual snoring with age, weight excess, and tobacco smoking, and identified two further factors: blocked nose at night and a large soft palate.

Keywords:
Snoring, Prevalence, Male employees, Nose-throat abnormalities
1.
Beck R, Odeh M, Oliven A, Gavriely N: The acoustic properties of snores. Eur Respir J 1995;8:2120–2128.
2.
Hoffstein V: Snoring. Chest 1996;109:201–222.
3.
Koskenvuo M, Kaprio J, Partinen M, Laginvainio H, Sarna S, Heikkila K: Snoring as a risk factor for hypertension and angina pectoris. Lancet 1985;i:893–896.
4.
Marin JM, Gascon JM, Carrizo S, Gispert J: Prevalence of sleep apnoea syndrome in the Spanish adult population. Int J Epidemiol 1997;26:381–386.
5.
Pack AI: Obstructive sleep apnea. Adv Intern Med 1994;39:517–567.
6.
Kauffmann F, Annesi I, Neukirch F, Oryszczyn M-P, Alperovitch A: The relation between snoring and smoking, body mass index, age, alcohol consumption and respiratory symptoms. Eur Respir J 1989;2:599–603.
7.
Davies RJO, Ali NJ, Stradling JR: Neck circumference and other clinical features in the diagnosis of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Thorax 1992;47:101–105.
8.
Wilms D, Popovich J, Conway W, Fujita S, Zorick F: Anatomic abnormalities in obstructive sleep apnea. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1982;91:595–596.
9.
Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S: The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged adults. N Engl J Med 1993;328:1230–1235.
10.
Biomedical Data Package. Los Angeles, Statistical Software Inc.,1993.
11.
Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S: Applied Logistic Regression. New York, Wiley, 1989.
12.
Enright PL, Newman AB, Wahl PW, Manolio TA, Haponik EF, Boyle PJR: Prevalence and correlates of snoring and observed apneas in 5,201 older adults. Sleep 1996;19:531–538.
13.
Koskenvuo M, Kaprio J, Telakivi T, Partinen M, Heikkila K, Sarna S: Snoring as a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and stroke in men. Br Med J 1987;294:16–19.
14.
Schmidt-Nowara WW, Coultas DB, Wiggins C, Skipper BE, Samet JM: Snoring in a Hispanic-American population: Risk factors and association with hypertension and other morbidity. Arch Intern Med 1990;150:597–601.
15.
Zielinski J, Zgierska A, Polakowska M, Finn L, Kurjata P, Kupsc W, Young T: Snoring and excessive daytime somnolence among Polish middle-aged adults. Eur Respir J 1999;14:946–950.
16.
Strohl KP, Redline S: Recognition of obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996;154:279–289.
17.
Stradling JR, Crosby JH: Predictors and prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring in 1001 middle-aged men. Thorax 1991;46:85–90.
18.
Stradling JR, Crosby JH, Payne CD: Self-reported snoring and daytime sleepiness in men aged 35–65 years. Thorax 1991 ;46:807–810.
19.
Norton PG, Dunn CV: Snoring as a risk factor for disease: An epidemiological survey. Br Med J 1985;291:630–632.
20.
Jessen M, Fryksmark U: Is there a relationship between the degree of nasal obstruction and snoring ? Clin Otolaryngol 1993;18:485–487.
21.
Givelber RJ, Gottlieb GJ, O’Connor GT, Weiss ST, Sparrow D: Nasal congestion is associated with symptoms of sleep disordered breathing. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995;151:A104.
22.
Young T, Finn L, Kim H, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Badr S, Weber S, Busse W, Jacques A, Evans L: Nasal obstruction as a risk factor for sleep disordered breathing. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1977;99( suppl 2):S757–S762.
23.
Metes A, Ohki M, Cole P, Haight JSJ, Hoffstein V: Snoring, sleep apnea, and nasal resistance in men and women. J Otolaryngol 1991;20:57–61.
24.
Koskenvuo M, Partinen M, Kaprio J, Vuorinen H, Telakivi T, Kajaste S, Salmi T, Heikkila K: Snoring and cardiovascular risk factors. Ann Med 1994;26:371–376.
25.
Guilleminault C, Eldridge FL, Tilkian A, Simmons B, Dement WC: Sleep apnea syndrome due to upper airway obstruction. A review of 25 cases. Arch Intern Med 1977;137:296–300.
26.
Sforza E, Bacon W, Weiss T, Thibault A, Petiau C, Krieger J: Upper airway collapsibility and cephalometric variables in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000;161:347–352.
27.
Cistulli PA, Sullivan CE: Pathophysiology of sleep apnea; in Saunders NA, Sullivan CE (eds): Sleep and Breathing. New York, Dekker, 1994; pp 405–448.
28.
Teculescu D: Can snoring induce or worsen obstructive sleep apnea? Med Hypotheses 1998;50:125–129.
© 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
2001
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.