A new research study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine said the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the United States will rise nearly 35% by the year 2050, with females seeing a larger increase than males — though overall, male patients with OSA will still outnumber females.
“Projecting the 30-year burden of obstructive sleep apnea in the USA: A prospective modelling study” was published Aug. 26. Funding for the study was provided by Resmed.
“Projections indicate that obstructive sleep apnea will affect 76·6 million adults aged 30-69 years across the USA in 2050, with a disproportionate growth among females compared with males,” the study said. “These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted public health strategies and revised access to diagnosis and follow-up pathways to address the growing prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, particularly among females.”
Researchers examined historical data extracted from a previously published longitudinal cohort study. “U.S. population characteristics (age and sex) were obtained from relevant and validated population data sources, and data on BMI [body mass index] were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort,” the study said. “To project the obstructive sleep apnea burden (cases and prevalence) into 2050, we developed an open cohort dynamic population simulation model.”
Study authors said their model “predicts a significant rise in OSA over the next three decades.” By 2050, researchers expect an increase of 34.7% in OSA, resulting in 76.6 million cases in the United States. Researchers anticipate a 65.4% relative increase in prevalence for females — from the current 22.8% to 37.7%. The prevalence of OSA in males is expected to increase by 19.3% to 54.4%.
Those predictions would result in 30.4 million females and 45.9 million males — aged 30 to 69 — having OSA in 2050.
“These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted public health strategies and revised access to diagnosis and follow-up pathways to address the growing prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, particularly among females,” the study said.
More than 936 million people worldwide have OSA, with about 40% of them having moderate to severe cases, the study noted. The study added that a white paper from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimated that the United States loses $86.9 billion a year from lost workplace productivity, as well as $30 billion in additional health-care costs, $26.2 billion from motor vehicle crashes, and $6.5 billion in workplace accidents and injuries.
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