Body Mass Index for screening Driver Day-time Sleepiness

In Israel professional drivers undergoing a routine medical examination for fitness to drive in 2003 and 2004 were refered to the Institute for Fatigue and Sleep Medicine if their Body Mass Index (BMI) was > 32. They were assessed for Excessive Day-time Sleepiness (EDS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) with the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) assesed polysomnographically during sleep. Also subjective reports of sleep disturbances and EDS were assessed. OSA was detected in 78 % of thedrivers and 19 % had severe sleepiness (MSLT < 5 min). None of the drivers complained about any sleep problem, including snoring, and all reported that they do not experience EDS indicating that their subjective reports of OSA or fatigue symptoms are not reliable. As it is very easy to obtain BMI, it is recommended to use this as a screening measure for further sleep study and decison about fitness to drive and referal for treatment. (BMI = W/L² with W = weigth in kg and L = length in m ).

Based on: Dagan, Y., Doliansky, J.T., Green, A. and Weiner, A. (2006) Body Mass Index (BMI) as a first-line screening criterion for detection of excessive daytime sleepiness among professional drivers. Traffic Injury Prevention, Vol. 7 pp.44-48.