0477 Positive Airway Pressure Therapy and Antidepressant Medication Adherence in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Depression

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have shown that treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in patients with OSA and comorbid depression may improve response to antidepressant medication therapy. At the same time, scant evidence has examined the impact of medication and PAP adherence in patients with OSA and comorbid depression. Patients that adhere to one therapy may be more likely to adhere to other therapies or healthy behaviors in a so-called “healthy user effect.” This retrospective study investigated the association between antidepressant medication adherence and PAP therapy adherence in patients with newly diagnosed OSA and comorbid depression. Methods Our data source was a national sample of administrative claims data linked to objective PAP therapy usage. Included patients either had two healthcare encounters or one hospitalization with a depression ICD-10 diagnosis code the year prior to being diagnosed with OSA and initiated on PAP therapy. Adherence to antidepressant medication was defined as ≥80% of proportion of days covered (PDC), and non-adherence was defined as < 80% PDC within a 180-day exposure window during the year prior to starting PAP therapy. Adherence to PAP therapy was categorized as consistently adherent, intermediately adherent, or not adherent based on objective usage over 2 years. Results 36,668 patients with OSA and comorbid depression were included. 27% were classified as consistently adherent, 45% intermediately adherent, and 28% non-adherent to PAP therapy. 68.6% of patients used antidepressant medication in the year prior to PAP initiation. 67.7% used a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 43.8% atypical antidepressants, 32.1% serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, 10.7% tricyclic antidepressant, and 0.1% monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Relative to patients not adherent to antidepressant medication (22.2% consistently adherent, 43.8% intermediately adherent, 33.9% not adherent), those adherent to antidepressant medication in the year prior were also more adherent to PAP therapy over 2 years (29.2% consistently adherent, 45.2% intermediately adherent, 25.6% not adherent). Conclusion Patients that were adherent to antidepressant medication in the year prior to starting PAP therapy have slightly better adherence to PAP therapy over 2 years. In real-world studies, medication adherence may be an important confounder to adjust for when comparing patient outcomes. Support (if any)