RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Comorbidity and healthcare costs in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
JF Breathe
JO breathe
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 95
OP 104
DO 10.1183/20734735.011311
VO 8
IS 2
A1 P.E. Ronksley
A1 B.R. Hemmelgarn
A1 W.H. Tsai
YR 2011
UL http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/8/2/95.abstract
AB Educational aims To provide physicians with knowledge of common comorbid conditions associated with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). To emphasise the healthcare burden and costs associated with OSA. Recognise the role of risk stratification in identifying patients who are likely to develop OSA-related complications. Summary OSA is common, with an estimated prevalence of up to 20%. Observational studies have found OSA to be associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to be an effective therapy for OSA. Unfortunately, clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of CPAP to mitigate associated morbidity are limited and those that have been conducted show variable findings, with not all patients benefiting from treatment. Given the prevalence of OSA in the general population, treatment of all individuals would be costly and unnecessary. Recent work suggests that the heterogeneity in clinical trial results may be driven by the inability to identify at-risk groups. Identifying patients with clinically relevant sequelae may be useful for targeting treatment to those at greatest risk. In this review, we discuss the potential association between OSA and comorbid conditions, as well as the economic and health impact of such associations. We also highlight the importance of risk stratification in identifying patients who are likely to develop OSA-related complications and adverse health outcomes.