Women and OSA: Breaking barriers to diagnosis and treatment

While research has shown that women who are diagnosed and treated for OSA may experience greater improvements in quality of life scores and higher CPAP usage than men1, actually getting a diagnosis in the first place can be an uphill struggle. So in this episode of OnAir we invite two leading experts on the topic, Prof. Sophia Schiza and Dr Alison Wimms, to explain why this is – and what can be done so more women with OSA can enjoy the benefits of therapy sooner and for longer... They have a lot to say on the subject, so we’ve divided up the rec...

While research has shown that women who are diagnosed and treated for OSA may experience greater improvements in quality of life scores and higher CPAP usage than men1, actually getting a diagnosis in the first place can be an uphill struggle.

So in this episode of OnAir we invite two leading experts on the topic, Prof. Sophia Schiza and Dr Alison Wimms, to explain why this is – and what can be done so more women with OSA can enjoy the benefits of therapy sooner and for longer...

They have a lot to say on the subject, so we’ve divided up the recording by questions, so you can focus on the areas that interest you the most, or listen to it as a whole – the choice is yours!:

Introduction

• 00:51 Schiza: Why is this an important topic?
• 03:09 Dr Wimms: What has kept you interested in this topic?

Differences between OSA presentation in men and women

• 05:02 What are the main symptoms of OSA for male and female patients?
• 09:06 How can we see differences in patients’ diagnostic traces?
• 11:51 Why do these differences exist?
• 11:06 Are there also difference between the sexes when it comes to treatment acceptance and response?
• 21:25 Are there any other differences to highlight?

Deep dive into female OSA research

• 27:25 Tell us more about the UK MERGE-data for mild OSA1...
• 33:54 ...and the ESADA-publication2 about OSA phenotypes where gender is one of the parameters of weight in the spider charts displaying patient characteristics?

Conclusion

• 43:31 What is the most important practical advice for clinicians who see women every day and want to help those with sleep apnoea?

Guests:

Prof. Sophia Schiza, Head of the ERS Assembly 4 Sleep Disordered Breathing and head of Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Respiratory Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece

Dr Alison Wimms, Director of Medical Affairs in Clinical Research, ResMed

Hosts:

Nina Wiklund is ResMed’s Global Medical Marketing Content Lead, and has a burning enthusiasm for clinical research. She is especially interested in the additional insights and possibilities real-world evidence can add to existing RCTs. 

Daniela Gautschi is ResMed’s Director Clinical Advocacy Europe, and has a passion for exploring the latest developments in the world of sleep and breathing health. Her key focus is advocating for digital health innovations to help ensure access to good quality care.

References and useful links:

1. Wimms AJ, Kelly JL, Turnbull CD, McMillan A, Craig SE, O'Reilly JF, Nickol AH, Decker MD, Willes LA, Calverley PMA, Benjafield AV, Stradling JR, Morrell MJ; MERGE Trial Investigators. Mild obstructive sleep apnoea in females: post hoc analysis of the MERGE randomised controlled trial. ERJ Open Res. 2024 Feb 5;10(1):00574-2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00574-2023 PMID: 38333643; PMCID: PMC10851951.
2. Yassen A, Coboeken K, Bailly S, Burghaus R, Buskova J, Dogas Z, Drummond M, Gouveris H, Joppa P, Lippert J, Lombardi C, Mihaicuta S, Pépin JL, Zou D, Hedner J, Grote L. Baseline clusters and the response to positive airway pressure treatment in obstructive sleep apnoea patients: longitudinal data from the European Sleep Apnea Database cohort. ERJ Open Res. 2022 Oct 31;8(4):00132-2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00132-2022 PMID: 36329798; PMCID: PMC9619251.

The podcast OnAir, with Clinical Respiratory News (CRN) is a medical education non-promotional for healthcare professionals organised by ResMed. Learn more at https://webinars.resmed.eu/podcasts-list/.

This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.

Disclaimer:

• This programme is non promotional and is sponsored by ResMed.
• The speakers are being compensated and/or receiving an honorarium from ResMed in connection with this programme.
• The content contained in this programme was jointly developed by the speakers and ResMed, and is not eligible for continuing medical education (CME) credits.

Listen to OnAir with Clinical Respiratory News, the podcast that brings you fresh insights and thought-provoking discussions about hot topics in sleep and breathing health.

© ResMed