Correlation of cephalometric and anthropometric measures with obstructive sleep apnea severity

Introduction: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) often have associated changes in craniofacial morphology and distribution of body fat, either alone or in combination. Aim: To correlate cephalometric and anthropometric measures with OSAHS severity by using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Method: A retrospective cephalometry study of 93 patients with OSAHS was conducted from July 2010 to July 2012. The following measurements were evaluated: body mass index (BMI), neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), the angles formed by the cranial base and the maxilla (SNA) and the mandible (SNB), the difference between SNA and SNB (ANB), the distance from the mandibular plane to the hyoid bone (MP-H), the space between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall (PAS), and the distance between the posterior nasal spine and the tip of the uvula (PNS-P). Means, standard deviations, and Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated and analyzed. Results: AHI correlated significantly with BMI (r = 0.207, p = 0.047), NC (r = 0.365, p = 0.000), WC (r = 0.337, p = 0.001), PNS-P (r = 0.282, p = 0.006), and MP-H (r = 0.235, p = 0.023). Conclusion: Anthropometric measurements (BMI, NC, and WC) and cephalometric measurements (MP-H and PNS-P) can be used as predictors of OSAHS severity.