Unmasking obstructive sleep apnea: Estimated prevalence and impact in the United States

IF 3.1 3区医学 Q2 CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS

Respiratory medicine Pub Date : 2025-09-14 DOI:10.1016/j.rmed.2025.108348

Ibrahim Sönmez , Alexandre Vo Dupuy , Kristina S. Yu , John Cronin , John Yee , Ali Azarbarzin

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious chronic disease, characterized by repeated upper airway obstructions during sleep, leading to episodes of disrupted breathing, sleep fragmentation, and reduced oxygen saturation. Adjusting for obesity as a major risk factor, we aimed to provide a contemporary estimate of the OSA prevalence in the United States (US).

Methods

A literature-based systematic review was conducted to identify studies of OSA prevalence in adults using the AHI₄ criteria (all apneas plus hypopneas associated with ≥4% oxygen desaturation). OSA was defined as having an AHI₄ ≥ 5 events/hr. For total prevalence, age-, and gender-specific rates were estimated based on eligible studies and the base-year estimation for 2004 was calculated. The obesity population attributable fraction was applied to base-year estimates to project OSA prevalence in year 2024. The AHI₄ distribution of mild (5-<15), moderate (15-<30) and severe (≥30 events/hr) OSA was also estimated.

Results

A total of 83.7 million adults (aged 20 years and older) were estimated to be living with OSA in the US in 2024, of whom 49,459,041 (59%) were males and 34,257,378 (41%) females. This translates to 32.4% overall prevalence in the US among adults aged 20 years and older, with 39.1% among males and 26.0% in females, adjusting for obesity. The distribution of OSA severity was estimated to be 52% mild, 30% moderate, and 18% severe.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that OSA is highly prevalent among US adults. Despite its substantial prevalence, OSA remains largely undiagnosed, highlighting the urgent need for improved screening and diagnosis.

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揭露阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停：估计患病率和影响在美国。

背景：阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）是一种严重的慢性疾病，其特征是睡眠期间反复出现上呼吸道阻塞，导致呼吸中断、睡眠片段化和血氧饱和度降低。调整肥胖作为主要危险因素，我们旨在提供美国OSA患病率的当代估计。方法：以文献为基础的系统综述，采用AHI4标准（所有呼吸暂停加低呼吸，氧饱和度≥4%）确定成人OSA患病率的研究。OSA定义为AHI4≥5次/小时。对于总患病率，根据符合条件的研究估计了特定年龄和性别的比率，并计算了2004年的基准年估计。将肥胖人群归因分数应用于2024年OSA患病率的基准年估计。结果：2024年美国估计共有8370万成年人（20岁以上）患有OSA，其中男性49,459,041人（59%），女性34,257,378人（41%）。这意味着美国20岁以上成年人的总体患病率为32.4%，其中男性为39.1%，女性为26.0%，经肥胖因素调整后。OSA严重程度的分布估计为52轻度，30%中度，18%重度。结论：我们的研究结果表明，OSA在美国成年人中非常普遍。尽管其发病率很高，但OSA仍未得到诊断，这凸显了改进筛查和诊断的迫切需要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Respiratory medicine 医学-呼吸系统

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

199

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Respiratory Medicine is an internationally-renowned journal devoted to the rapid publication of clinically-relevant respiratory medicine research. It combines cutting-edge original research with state-of-the-art reviews dealing with all aspects of respiratory diseases and therapeutic interventions. Topics include adult and paediatric medicine, epidemiology, immunology and cell biology, physiology, occupational disorders, and the role of allergens and pollutants. Respiratory Medicine is increasingly the journal of choice for publication of phased trial work, commenting on effectiveness, dosage and methods of action.