Prevalence of OSA

Estimates to the prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Unites States are 2% for woman, and 4% for men.

There are many studies giving higher prevalence number for specific populations - 9% for middle-aged white males, up to 24% and even 40% in some populations.

The links between OSA, age and obesity, lead most to conclude that the number of Obstructive Sleep Apnea will continue to grow. This prevalence of 18 million people with OSA is on par with Diabetes and Asthma. It is estimated that 50% of the people that have diabetes, don’t know it.

These are the people commonly referred to as the missing 10 million. There is a lot of effort in healthcare to reach out to these individuals to encourage treatment. The picture for OSA is bleaker than that; only about 10% of the people suffering for OSA have been diagnosed.

Remember that each one of these undiagnosed patients is costing the health care industry twice as much as everyone else, and getting into 6 times as many car accidents.