ORIGINAL ARTICLE Assessment of risk for obstructive sleep apnea by using STOP-BANG questionnaire in type 2 diabetes mellitus A. Bamanikar 1 & S. Duggal 1 & S. Sharma 1 & S. Rana 1 Received: 20 March 2019 /Accepted: 24 August 2019 # Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India 2019 Abstract Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder of breathing during sleep. It typically presents as repetitive short episodes of partial or complete stoppage of breathing due to upper airway obstruction during sleep and awakens the person. The association between OSA, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity has been suggested in numerous studies. It is expected that the prevalence of OSA will increase with rising number of T2DM. Unfortunately, many of the patients are not aware about OSA and also remain undiagnosed. The questionnaire-based OSA screening for risk stratification is validated in many studies in diverse populations. This approach can help early detection of OSA in T2DM. Hence, the study was undertaken to find out prevalence of OSA in T2DM patients by validated screening questionnaire, STOP-BANG. Objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of OSA among the type 2 diabetic patients attending tertiary care hospital. Methods This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study done in a tertiary care hospital affiliated to a medical college in Maharashtra. The number of respondents were 374 attending diabetic clinic, who were interviewed using STOP-BANG ques- tionnaire and assessed on four symptoms and four signs to stratify the OSA risk. Results 47.3% of type 2 diabetics had STOP-BANG score ≥ 3, which is high-risk score for OSA Conclusion Type 2 diabetics are at risk of OSA and STOP-BANG questionnaire could detect nearly 50%. The screening is simple and can be used in primary care setting. These sub-set of patients can be subjected to gold standard polysomnography at home or in hospital for further management. Keywords Obstructive sleep apnea . STOP-BANG . Type 2 diabetes Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects about 4% of men and 2% of women of middle-aged population, as defined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 5 and daytime excessive sleepiness [1]. OSA is common in obese patients and also its prevalence increases with increasing body mass index (BMI). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, and both of these have causal relationship with central obesity. OSA is also associated with incremental insulin resistance independent of general obesity [2, 3]. Hence, OSA may therefore be present in patients with T2DM irrespective of obesity. Sleep apnea is characterized by the interruption of airflow during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly due to obstruction to airflow in the orophar- ynx. Patients with OSA have repeated episodes of par- tial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep, leading to poor inflow of air. This is usually followed by awakening from sleep. The clinical manifestations and consequences of OSA are a direct result of hypoxia that occurs due to repetitive short spells of upper airway blockade. In the Western countries, it is estimated that 2–4% of middle-aged adult population suffers from OSA (3.6% in India). OSA is an important risk factor in the development of diseases including cardiac, cere- brovascular, cognitive dysfunction and excessive day- time somnolence, and risk of road traffic accidents [4]. In obese people, deposition of excess fat around the chest reduces the functional capacity while increasing * A. Bamanikar bamanikar@gmail.com 1 Department of Medicine, Dr. D Y Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Center, Dr. D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pimpri 411018, India International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-019-00768-5