Sleep-disordered breathing in patients with COPD and mild hypoxemia: prevalence and predictive variables.

Objective:: To infer the prevalence and variables predictive of isolated nocturnal hypoxemia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with COPD and mild hypoxemia.

Methods:: This was a cross-sectional study involving clinically stable COPD outpatients with mild hypoxemia (oxygen saturation = 90-94%) at a clinical center specializing in respiratory diseases, located in the city of Goiânia, Brazil. The patients underwent clinical evaluation, spirometry, polysomnography, echocardiography, arterial blood gas analysis, six-minute walk test assessment, and chest X-ray.