Polysomnography in a large population based study – the Study of Health in Pomerania Protocol

Stubbe B, Penzel T, Fietze I, Obst A, Garcia C, Zimmermann S, Diecker B, Glos M, Schmidt CO, Lau K, Piontek M, Hegenscheid K, Dober J, Berger K, Szentkiralyi A, Felix SB, Schäper C, Gläser S, Völzke H, Ewert R

Zusammenfassung

Background: Our current knowledge about sleep disorders in the general population is limited by a lack of objective sleep data assessed in large-scale, well characterised European cohorts.The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is a population-based study investigating prevalence and incidence of common risk factors, subclinical disorders and clinical diseases in adults.Polysomnography (PSG) was performed between 2008 and 2012 (SHIP-TREND). Aim: The aim of the present study was to perform cardio respiratoryPSG in a population- based setting to gain more insight into subclinical and clinical sleep disorders and their complex associations with common risk factors, subclinical disorders and chronic diseases among adults. Here we describe the rationale, design, and implementation of PSG in a population-based study. Methods: The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) consists of two independent population-based prospective subcohorts. The core diagnostic program of the baseline SHIP-TREND included the assessment of risk behaviour, common chronic diseases, cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, and serum blood parameters, mental health, and cognitive functioning. Genotyping and whole-body MRI were also performed. In addition, all participants were offered a standard overnight laboratory-based polysomnography (PSG). Subjective sleep parameters and restless legs syndrome (RLS) were assessed with a set of standardised questionnaires. Sleep staging, respiratory events, and leg movements were evaluated according to the standards of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). Results: Complete data (sleep-questionnaires, PSG) have been obtained on 1249 participants (573 women), aged 20-70 years. Genetic data are available from 424 PSG participants. Conclusion: The population-based design and the comprehensive data collection provide a unique opportunity to assess the prevalence and risk factors of sleep disorders, and to investigate the complex relationships between sleep parameters, genetic factors, and various health and disease aspects.