Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Sleep Apnea in Korea

Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Sleep Apnea in Korea: a Prospective Cohort Study

Sleep-disordered breathing including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an extremely common medical disorder associated with important morbidity. The purpose of this study is to understand the clinical features and course of patients with sleep apnea in Korea. Participants who are suspected of sleep apnea due to symptoms such as snoring, witnessed apneas, waking up with a choking sensation, excessive sleepiness, non-restorative sleep, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, fatigue or tiredness, and morning headache will be prospectively recruited at the outpatient clinic of Seoul National University Hospital. After polysomnography (PSG) or respiratory polygraphy, patients with sleep apnea including OSA and central sleep apnea (CSA) will be followed regularly. Participants not having sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index < 5/hour) will only have a baseline visit. For only participants with the informed consent of donating blood, their blood samples will be collected and stored in the Seoul National University Hospital-Human Biobank (SNUH-HUB).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sleep Apnea Syndromes

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1000

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jaeyoung Cho, M.D.; Phone Number: +82-2-2072-2503; Email: apricot6@snu.ac.kr

Study Locations

• South Korea
  • Seoul, South Korea, 03080
    • Recruiting
    • Seoul National University Hospital
    • Contact: Jaeyoung Cho, MD; Phone Number: 82-2-2072-2503; Email: apricot6@snu.ac.kr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants who are suspected of sleep apnea due to symptoms such as snoring, witnessed apneas, waking up with a choking sensation, excessive sleepiness, non-restorative sleep, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, fatigue or tiredness, and morning headache will be prospectively recruited at the outpatient clinic of Seoul National University Hospital.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants who are suspected of sleep apnea due to symptoms such as snoring, witnessed apneas, waking up with a choking sensation, excessive sleepiness, non-restorative sleep, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, fatigue or tiredness, and morning headache

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); 5 or more predominantly obstructive respiratory events [obstructive and mixed apneas, hypopneas or respiratory effort-related arousals (RERAs)] per hour of sleep during a PSG or per hour of monitoring (respiratory polygraphy)
central sleep apnea (CSA); PSG shows all of the following: 5 or more central apneas and/or central hypopneas per hour of sleep.; The number of central and/or central hypopneas is > 50% of the total number of apneas and hypopneas.
control; apnea-hypopnea index < 5 per hour of sleep during a PSG or per hour of monitoring (respiratory polygraphy)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The number of participants with adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy	PAP adherence is defined as the use of PAP therapy for ≥4 h/night on ≥70% of nights	Median follow up of 2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The number of deaths	The number of deaths	Median follow up of 15 years
The cause of death	The cause of death	Median follow up of 15 years

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change of FEV1 and FVC in patients with OSA	Change of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients with OSA	Median follow up of 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Seoul National University Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jaeyoung Cho, M.D., Seoul National University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 11, 2019
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2045
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2046

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): December 4, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Apnea; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Apnea Syndromes
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19071511050

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No