Introduction. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a growing public health problem in developing countries. However the burden among commercial drivers is not well described. Methods. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Berlin questionnaire were administered to interstate commercial road transport drivers to assess the tendency to sleep in daytime and the risk of OSA, respectively. Body mass index (BMI), neck, and waist-hip circumferences were measured. Results. Out of 138 commercial drivers, 124 (90%) responded and provided complete data. The mean (SD) age, BMI, neck, and waist circumferences were 40.4 (9.3) years, 28.0 (4.6)？kg/m2, 40.0 (3.0)？cm, and 92.8 (11.1)？cm, respectively. Twenty-two percent had ESS score above 11 and 36% of the respondents had a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Adjusting for age, BMI, and waist and neck circumferences, the key predictors of road accidents were ESS score above 11 (OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.18–12.06), self-reported diagnosis of hypertension (OR 4.63, 95% CI 1.46–14.69), and increasing hip circumference (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01–1.23). Conclusion. Obstructive sleep apnea is common among commercial interstate road drivers in Nigeria and ESS may be a simple tool for assessing accident risk. 1. Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a growing public health challenge [1]. It is characterized by recurring episodes of partial or absolute airway obstruction during sleep resulting in repeated sleep interruptions. When accompanied by daytime somnolence, it is often referred to as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). OSAS is associated with excessive daytime somnolence, cardiovascular morbidity, underperformance in workplace, domestic injuries, and road traffic accidents [2]. There is a large body of evidence that shows that these events may be explained by sleep fragmentation, work patterns, circadian rhythm, and sleep habits like snoring [3, 4]. About 15–25% of the general population in high-income countries is reported to experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) [5] and this may partly be due to obstructive sleep apnea. Though there is a paucity of data on the burden of OSA in many low-income countries, it is generally presumed that OSA is uncommon in these populations. This position has mainly been supported with the argument that the prevalence of obesity is low in low-income economies where low energy diets are staple. However, obesity alone does not explain the variance in the prevalence of OSA across countries. Recent studies in Nigeria have suggested that OSA may be largely underrecognized as high
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