Reena Mehra, MD, MS: Underdiagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

“It’s concerning because [OSA] is so widely prevalent. Around 10% to 15% of the population is estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea, and it’s been increasing in recognition—in terms of awareness.”

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is expected to be present at ≥5 events/h on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in as few as 9% and as many as 38% of the general population, with increasing prevalence corresponding with increasing age—even rising as high as 90% in men and 78% in women in some elderly groups.¹

For Reena Mehra, MD, MS, director, Sleep Disorders Research Program, and professor of medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, this is troubling, mainly because it implies a high rate of underdiagnosis. To do its part in improving this landscape, Mehra and colleagues at Cleveland Clinic are seeking to develop a care path for OSA, with a goal of increasing physician awareness of and screening for OSA.

In a conversation with NeurologyLive, Mehra detailed the challenges of addressing the underdiagnosis of OSA, as well as some factors which may be contributing to the lower-than-expected diagnoses.

REFERENCE

1. Senaratna CV, Perret JL, Lodge CJ, et al. Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in the general population: A systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2017;34:70-81. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.07.002.