Obstructive sleep apnea in pregnancy: reliability of prevalence and prediction estimates

Objective:we sought to ascertain the validity of two screening scales for obstructive sleep apnea (osa) in pregnancy and to establish the prevalence of osa in pregnancy.study design:in this prospective observational study, two screening scales were administered. screen positive subjects were referred for diagnostic polysomnography (psg); if admitted for antepartum care, screen positive subjects underwent a modified study with a type 3 device (t3d).result:a total of 1509 subjects underwent osa screening; 58 completed diagnostic testing. neither measure was a reliable diagnostic tool for osa as determined by t3d or psg (detection rates of 10.3% and 18.0%, respectively). among screen positive subjects undergoing psg or t3d testing, 15.5% ultimately met ‘gold standard’ osa diagnostic criteria for an estimated point prevalence of 4.9%.conclusion:in this prospective trial, screening positive on the berlin questionnaire or epworth sleepiness scale was poorly predictive of osa among gravidae and was associated with a high false referral rate.