Fatigued on Venus, sleepy on Mars-gender and racial differences in symptoms of sleep apnea.

Objective: Clinical guidelines for the care of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recommend evaluation of daytime sleepiness but do not specify evaluation of fatigue. We studied how subjects with and without OSA experience fatigue and sleepiness, examining the role of gender and race.

Design, Setting, Patients: Consecutive subjects entering our heart health registry completed validated questionnaires including Berlin Questionnaire for OSA, Fatigue Scale, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale.