Relación de tamaño amigdalino, clasificación de Mallampati con el cuestionario STOP-BANG

Abstract

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a clinical pathology considered a serious health problem. Physiologically, it is described as a marked relaxation of the upper airway muscles that allows collapse of the pharyngeal walls, closing the air passage for a short period of time but can cause unconscious awakening of the sufferer. Complications include hypersomnolensia, low performance in activities, irritability and fatigue. A relationship with two variables is suggested: tonsillar size and Mallampati classification. Objective: To relate the signs and symptoms of suspected OSA with tonsillar size and Mallampati classification in patients attending the dental clinics of the Universidad Santo Tomás. Materials and methods: Observational, cross-sectional study with a sample of 99 adult patients who attended the eighth and ninth semester adult clinics. Data collection through the STOB-BANG questionnaire, taking photographs of the oropharynx to evaluate the degree of tonsillar size and the Mallampati classification. The risk of OSA was assessed, univariate and bivariate analysis was performed using STATA17. Results: Participants had a median age of 49 years, most were women and belonged to stratum 3, and among systemic diseases the most reported was hypertension. High risk of OSA was observed in 16% of patients, a statistically significant relationship was found for tonsillar size, where it is evident that 66% of subjects with tonsillar size greater than 50%, have a high risk of STOP-BANG and no relationship of the same risk of OSA was found with Mallampati classification. Conclusions: Tonsillar size seems to be related to the risk of OSA assessed with the STOP-BANG questionnaire.