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Frequency of apnea and hypopnea events is used to estimate the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, comprehensive information on whether apneas and hypopneas cause an equal biological effect is not available. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the effect of the breathing cessation event type (i.e., obstructive apnea or hypopnea) and duration on the severity of related SpO₂ desaturation events.

Type 1 polysomnographies of 395 patients (220 males and 175 females) examined for suspected OSA were analyzed. Desaturation severity related to hypopnea and obstructive apnea events were compared and comparison was controlled for gender, sleep stage, sleeping position, age, and body mass index. Hypopneas and obstructive apneas were further divided into eight different durational categories and …