2022 Volume 52 Issue 1 Pages 35-43
Background: Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in train operators poses a serious risk of accidents due to dozing, but its relationship with lifestyle-related diseases remains unclear.
Method: The results of polysomnography on 1,494 train operators for Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. and those of periodic health checkups covering a range of items, including age, BMI, blood pressure, uric acid, and HbA1c , LDL-C, triglyceride, γGTP, eGFR, and serum hemoglobin levels were analyzed. Results: 1) Sleep apnea syndrome was diagnosed in 797 (53.3％) of 1,494 employees, 385 (25.8％) with mild disease, 105 (7.0％) with moderate disease, and 307 (20.5％) with severe disease. 2) The higher the age, the higher the prevalence of SAS. 3) A high correlation was observed between the severity of SAS and the proportion of obese people (BMI ≧ 30) (r ＝ 0.95). 4) In cases of SAS, the proportion of people with hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia or polycythemia was significantly higher. 5) Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed obesity and hyperglycemia as independent risk factors of moderate or severe SAS.
Conclusions: Significant relationships were revealed between SAS and aging, obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, or polycythemia. Obesity and hyperglycemia, in particular, were identified as independent risk factors for the development of moderate or severe SAS.
