What Is Apnea?
6. Diagnosis
Patients with excessive daytime sleepiness should undergo a sleep study such as a polysomnography. Routine laboratory tests have little to no purpose in OSA unless there is a specific indication. In patients suspected with hypothyroidism, a thyrotropin test can be performed especially among elderly patients.
One study found that cysteine levels may be a potential biomarker for OSA as it was found to be higher in OSA patients and reduced once effective OSA treatment was provided. A randomized controlled study reported that home oximetry may be a method to help diagnose OSA as it is easier to obtain compared to polysomnography. This test is a non-invasive method that monitors the oxygenation in the blood. However, as it does not measure apneic events, it does not produce an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
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