Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39565028›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine2025

Using expanded diagnostic criteria mitigates gender disparities in diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing.

Kenna Haile, Monica Mungarwadi, Nesrine Adly Ibrahim, Apala Vaishnav, Sean Carrol, Nishtha Pandya, Hossein Yarandi, Abdulghani Sankari, Jennifer L Martin, M Safwan Badr

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Enough is enough: strict hypopnea criteria exacerbate sleep-related health disparities in females.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Kenna HaileWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Monica MungarwadiWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Nesrine Adly IbrahimMcGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Apala VaishnavWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Sean CarrolWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Nishtha PandyaWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Hossein YarandiWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Abdulghani SankariWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Jennifer L MartinUniversity of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
M Safwan BadrWayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.

Funding

Improving outcomes for patients with SDB and insufficient sleepR01HL146059 · NHLBI · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · PI BADR, M.SAFWAN, MARTIN, JENNIFER L · 2019 to 2023
$3.5M
Sleep health in special populationsK24HL143055 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI MARTIN, JENNIFER L · 2018 to 2025
$898k
HSR&D Research Career Scientist AwardIK6HX003160 · VA · VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · PI MARTIN, JENNIFER L · 2020 to 2025
–
HSRD VA IK6 HX003160NHLBI NIH HHS K24 HL143055NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL146059
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

objectivesMitigating gender inequality in the diagnosis and management of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is of paramount importance. Historically, the diagnostic criteria for SDB were based on male physiology and did not account for variations in disease manifestation based on sex. Some payors use a definition of hypopnea that requires a 4% oxygen desaturation (AHI-4) to determine coverage for treatment, whereas the criteria recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine require either a 3% oxygen desaturation or an arousal (AHI-3A). This study examined the diagnostic implications of these 2 definitions for men and women in a clinical setting.

methodsWe reviewed polysomnography reports for all patients who completed a diagnostic polysomnography study at 1 sleep disorders center in 2019. Every polysomnography recording was scored using both sets of criteria to determine AHI-4 and AHI-3A.

resultsData from 279 women (64.7%) and 152 men (34.3%) were analyzed. Overall, the mean AHI-4 was 21.9 ± 27.3 and the mean AHI-3A was 34.7 ± 32.3 per hour of sleep. AHI-3A resulted in a diagnostic increase of 30.4% (

conclusionsThe definition of hypopnea used in the AHI-3A criteria is more consistent with the pathophysiology of SDB in women and results in higher rates of diagnosis. Use of the AHI-4 criteria may create a sex-based disparity in diagnosis, leading to symptomatic women remaining undiagnosed and untreated. CITATION: Haile K, Mungarwadi M, Ibrahim NA, et al. Using expanded diagnostic criteria mitigates gender disparities in diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing.

Indexed as

Sleep Apnea SyndromesAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPolysomnographySex Factorsdiagnostic criteriasleep apneasleep-disordered breathingwomen’s health

Identifiers

PMID39565028
PMCPMC11874091

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.