Resolving the Different Opinions About The Apnea Hypopnea Index

Many people don’t realize it until they experience it themselves, but there is a different in opinion concerning the suitability of the apnea hypopnea index.   The differences in opinion are so great that many experts believe that the index is a waste of time and effort, while others believe that the apnea hypopnea index has a very suitable place in a clinical practice.   

The people who oppose the index say that there is not enough association between the apnea hypopnea index and sleeplessness and neither with muscle dysfunction.  There is also some controversy about whether there is a standardized definition of apnea hypopnea index. 

Inaccurate Measurement 

Another issue that has been cited with the apnea hypopnea index is that it cannot be measured easily, which is owed to the devices that are being used to monitor the airflow of the patient while he or she sleeps.  For instance, thermistors are often used, yet these are devices that are not going to detect airflow other than hot air being passed in and out of the body.  In addition, the apnea hypopnea index is also flawed because it provides misleading information to doctors associated with sleep disordered breathing. 

Those who support the use of the apnea hypopnea index acknowledge that it is not perfect, but it does have its uses. Because they feel that it does have some uses, they believe that it should continue to be used and improved. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is one such supporter, as they are working to make the index more standardized. Those who support the index believe that it can help to correlate the symptoms of sleep disordered breathing. 

It is easy to see that there are both pros and cons of the apnea hypopnea index, but the fact remains is that it is still an index of how severe apnea and hypopnea are.  When you combine the two you give a view of the overall severity of the sleep apnea condition that also includes disruptions in sleep and helps to show what happens when the levels of oxygen in the blood fall too low.  So, the index can be calculated by taking the number of occurrences of divided by the number of hours that were slept. 

The bottom line is that if you have an apnea hypopnea index of a minimum of fifteen episodes per hour, without the presence of medical problems that relate to sleep, than one would be diagnosed with sleep apnea.  While this is a good guide, the medical community needs to come together to come up with a new index or agree to use the apnea hypopnea index.