Snoring loudly (louder than talking / heard through a closed door)
Often tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the day
Observed to stop breathing, choke, or gasp during sleep
High blood pressure (or being treated for it)
BMI > 35 kg/m²
Age > 50 years
Neck circumference > 40 cm
Male sex
Evidence
Original publication
Chung F, Yegneswaran B, Liao P, et al. STOP questionnaire: a tool to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea. Introduced the STOP items and the extended STOP-Bang (adding BMI > 35, age > 50, neck > 40 cm, male sex); a score ≥ 3 was highly sensitive for moderate-to-severe OSA.
Anesthesiology, 2008
Open source
Validation
Chung F, Abdullah HR, Liao P. STOP-Bang Questionnaire: a practical approach to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. Pooled data: score 0–2 low risk, 3–4 intermediate, 5–8 high; higher scores and specific item combinations improve specificity for severe OSA.
Chest, 2016
Open source
Guideline
The 2016 ASA practice guidelines for the perioperative management of patients with OSA and the SASM guidance endorse STOP-Bang as a preoperative screening tool.
Last reviewed: 2026-09
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MedScore is an educational and clinical decision-support tool. It does not provide a diagnosis, a treatment, or a drug-dosing recommendation, and it does not replace clinical judgement or local guidelines. Confirm every result against the original source before acting on it. The treating clinician remains responsible for all decisions.