{
  "abstract": "Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common in patients with difficult-to-control asthma and may contribute to poor disease control. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a widely used OSA screening tool, though its validity in asthma populations remains unclear.Methods We prospectively analysed 37 patients attending a difficult asthma clinic who completed STOP-BANG screening and underwent home sleep studies. Demographic data (age, sex, BMI), STOP-BANG scores (0–8), and apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) from sleep studies were recorded. OSA severity was defined by standard AHI thresholds: normal (<5 events/hour), mild (<15 events/hour), moderate (<30 events/hour), and severe (≥30 events/hour). We assessed the diagnostic performance of a STOP-BANG score ≥3 to detect moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥15), calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV).Results The study cohort consisted primarily of female patients (78%), with a mean age of 51.5 years (range 27–76) and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 31.2 kg/m 2 (range 21.0–55.8), indicating an overweight to obese population. Using a STOP-BANG score threshold of ≥3, the tool demonstrated a sensitivity of 58.3% and a specificity of 52.0% for detecting moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥15) . The positive predictive value (PPV) was 36.8%, while the negative predictive value (NPV) was 72.2%.Of the 19 patients who screened positive with STOP-BANG scoring ≥3, only 7 (37%) had moderate-to-severe OSA on diagnostic testing. In contrast, 9 (47%) had only mild OSA and 3 (16%) had no OSA, indicating a high false-positive rate. Additionally, 5 cases of moderate/severe OSA were missed by patients with STOP-BANG <3.Conclusion In this female-predominant, difficult asthma cohort, STOP-BANG ≥3 showed modest sensitivity and limited specificity for identifying clinically significant OSA. While a low score may help exclude moderate-to-severe OSA, the high false-positive rate limits its standalone use in this population. These findings suggest STOP-BANG should be used cautiously in asthma cohorts and highlight the need for asthma-specific OSA screening tools.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "L Piggott"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "S Shelley"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "O Gavin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "A Brennan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "P Coss"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "B Kennedy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "St. James, Dublin, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "BD Kent"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P57 Accuracy of STOPBANG in identification of OSA in difficult & severe asthma",
  "uid": "4f7dc05e-e95e-520e-8069-07f443299fe2"
}