STOP-BANG Questionnaire Calculator

What is the STOP-BANG Questionnaire?

The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a clinically validated, concise 8-item screening tool designed to identify individuals at elevated risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Developed by Dr. Frances Chung and colleagues for preoperative assessment, it has become an internationally recognized standard in both clinical practice and sleep medicine.

OSA is a common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep, resulting in oxygen desaturation, sleep fragmentation, daytime somnolence, and elevated cardiovascular morbidity.

The STOP-BANG Acronym Explained

The acronym stands for eight distinct diagnostic and demographic parameters:

• S – Snoring: Do you snore loudly (louder than talking or heard through closed doors)?
• T – Tired: Do you often feel tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the daytime?
• O – Observed: Has anyone observed you stop breathing or choking/gasping during sleep?
• P – Pressure: Do you have or are you treated for high blood pressure?
• B – BMI: Is your Body Mass Index greater than \(35\text{ kg/m}^2\)?
• A – Age: Are you older than 50 years of age?
• N – Neck circumference: Is your neck circumference > 40 cm (16 in) for females or > 43 cm (17 in) for males?
• G – Gender: Is your biological sex male?

Scoring & Risk Stratification Criteria

Each affirmative ("Yes") response awards 1 point, creating a total score between 0 and 8:

• Low Risk (0–2 points): Low probability of moderate-to-severe OSA. High negative predictive value.
• Intermediate Risk (3–4 points): Moderate probability. Further clinical assessment recommended.
• High Risk (5–8 points): High probability of moderate-to-severe OSA. Alternatively, a patient with a STOP score \(\ge 2\) combined with male sex, BMI \(> 35\text{ kg/m}^2\), or large neck circumference is also classified as high risk.

You might also like our Epworth Sleepiness Scale Calculator and BMI Calculator tools.