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Relationship Between Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency And Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Lindsay Megenhardt

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition that causes inadequate production of the alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein, which is known to protect connective tissues in the body from destruction. The purpose of this dissertation study was to identify if individuals with mild to severe AATD are at higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea than the general population. The investigator hypothesized there would be a higher prevalence of OSA in the AATD population due to the etiology of disease. A seven-question sleep apnea risk assessment questionnaire, STOPBAG, was applied to the retrospective, de-identified, self-reported 2,338 participant responses from the …