0568 Trends in OSA Disease Severity Over Nearly Two Decades: Update on the VA San Diego Experience

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is one of the largest integrated healthcare systems in the United States. Key risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) include aging, weight, and male gender, all of which are highly prevalent in the VA population and help to explain the higher rates of OSA in the VA. The Pulmonary Sleep Program at the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) started a patient database over twenty years ago for its home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) program. An analysis of ten years of diagnostic HSAT data was reported on over 12,500 patients in 2014. This analysis focuses on an update on the last four years and a comparison to 2014. Methods A retrospective review of the local clinical database of HSAT diagnostic testing was conducted. The database contained 8,928 sleep studies from 2018 to 2022. Invalid studies were removed. Only initial diagnostic studies were included. Results Of the 8,928 diagnostic studies, 2,564 tested negative for OSA (28.7%). Of the 6,364 positive cases, 43.3% were mild, 28.8% were moderate, and 27.9% were severe. The percentages of each OSA severity level were stable across these years (mild: 42%-45%; moderate: 27%-32%; and severe: 26%-29%). The mean AHI did not significantly change from 2018 (24.1+/-20.6) to 2022 (25.1+/-21.2) (overall mean 24.4+/-20.3; range: 5-140). Conclusion Based on this extensive retrospective review of diagnostic testing at a single, high-volume HSAT program, it appears that OSA severity levels have stabilized over these past five years, with the highest percentage of mild OSA cases (~43%) followed by moderate (~29%) and severe (~28%). Our facility saw a significant decrease in severe cases (60% to 30%) and increase in mild OSA (7% to 35%) from 2004 to 2013. Today, over 4 out of every 10 new OSA diagnoses are mild, which has significant treatment implications given that adherence to the two primary medical device options is suboptimal. Identifying patient-centered treatment options for these patients is a priority. Support (if any) VA RR&D D2651-R and the Sleep Medicine Section of the VA San Diego Healthcare System supported this project.