Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a growing health concern as it is associated with serious comorbidities. OSAS is mainly related to obesity, age, gender and a narrowed upper airway is commonly seen in patients with OSAS. This study aimed to compare spirometry parameters between obese OSAS patients and non-obese OSAS patients when patients moved from sitting to supine. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between December 2009 and December 2010. Patients with severe OSAS and who were OSAS treatment naïve were recruited. Spirometry was performed in all patients in sitting and supine positions to assess forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, forced expiratory flow (FEF) 50%, FEF 25–75%, maximum forced inspiratory flow and expiratory reserve volume. The mean difference in spirometry parameters between patients in sitting and supine positions was calculated. Results: A total of 27 OSAS patients (19 males and 8 females) were included in this study. There was a significant difference in FEV1/FVC in obese and non-obese patients when changing position (P = 0.03). In addition, there was a significant change between male and female patients’ FVC percentages (P <0.05). Male patients with OSAS had reduced FVC compared to females. There was no significant difference in the remaining spirometry parameters with patients’ change of position. Conclusion: A supine position may cause lower airway obstruction in obese patients with OSAS. The reduced FVC in males possibly contributes to the high prevalence of OSAS in men compared to women.Keywords: Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Obesity; Gender; Spirometry; Posture; Oman.

Background: Sport and recreational activities are becoming popular worldwide. This is attributed to the increase in public awareness about the benefits of physical activity. Furthermore, the availability of fitness facilities has increased in recent years. With such change in daily activities comes an increase in sport-related injuries presenting to emergency departments. There is a lack of data regarding the epidemiology of sport related injuries and their burden on emergency departments in the sultanate of Oman.Aims: This study aims to provide a scientific perspective on the epidemiology and burden of sports and recreation related injuries in the Sultanate of Oman. Methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study of all sports and recreation related injuries presented to the emergency department of the national trauma Center in the Sultanate of Oman between Jan 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2016. Data was extracted from the electronic medical system used at the national trauma center. Demographics, clinical and management details were extracted. Data was recorded in EXCEL Software and analyzed using SPSS software. Results:A total of 1015 patients were identified to have presented to the national trauma Center during the study period with sport and recreation related injuries. Young men in the second and third decade of life were the most prevalent population affected by sport injuries (mean age 24 SD+-8). The rate of emergency department visits due to sport-related injuries was higher in November 14.9% (n=151) and June 10.5% (n=107). Football related injuries are the most common among different sports 59% (n=594), followed by weight lifting related injuries 2% (n=22). Knee, ankle and foot are the most commonly injured which constitute 18.8%, 17.6%, 17.3% respectively. 95.5% of cases were treated non-operatively. A significant number of patients who were discharged from the ED were treated conservatively 76.9% (n747) p-value <0.001, whereas 58.5% (n=24) p-value <0.001of those who got admitted underwent emergent surgeries.Conclusion: Sports and recreation related injuries are common in our community. Although most of these injuries are not of a serious nature, most of the injured individuals seek medical care at the emergency department leading to unnecessary crowding and inappropriate utilization of the health system. Increasing public awareness about sport related injuries and the preventive methods when practicing sports and recreational activities is necessary.