Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Everyone knows someone with Diabetes or Asthma, but did you know that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is as prevalent as these common problems?
- Roughly 1 out of 5 adults has at least mild OSA
- Over 18 million people in the United States alone have sleep apnea
- Millions more snore
- 90% of sleep apneics remain undiagnosed and untreated
- Almost as many traffic accidents are caused by sleep apnea as DUI
- The risk for sleep apnea is 2 to 3 times greater in men than women
- The risk to women greatly increases after menopause
- Pregnancy may be a time of particular risk for women
- OSA is the most common chronic disease in industrialized societies
- 27% of all children are affected by habitual snoring
- 2 to 3% of all children have OSA
- The problem is getting worse due to the trend to increasing obesity

