Prevalence of and risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in Brazilian railroad workers

The prevalence of OSAS in Brazilian railroad workers was higher than that observed in the general population but similar to that found in the population of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. These results suggest that age, BMI, a high risk of developing apnea through subjective self-reporting (Berlin), and alcohol use are associated with a higher risk of developing OSAS. These data reinforce the need to be more attentive to this population because they have a higher propensity for accidents.