Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Aug;108(5):246-9.

Burden of sleep apnea: rationale, design, and major findings of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study

Terry Young  1 , Mari Palta, Jerome Dempsey, Paul E Peppard, F Javier Nieto, K Mae Hla
Affiliations

Burden of sleep apnea: rationale, design, and major findings of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study

Terry Young et al. WMJ. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

Context: Untreated sleep apnea is a prevalent but treatable condition of breathing pauses during sleep. With approximately 15% of the US population affected, understanding of the total health burden is necessary to guide policy, population initiatives, and clinical practice to reduce the prevalence of this condition.

Objective: To outline the history and need for a population approach to understanding sleep apnea and provide a review of the first longitudinal population study of this disorder.

Data source: The results of cross-sectional and longitudinal data from 1500 participants in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, initiated 2 decades ago, illustrate the population burden of sleep apnea.

Results: The prevalence of sleep apnea is increasing with trends of increased obesity. Prospective findings from 4- to 15-year follow-up data indicate untreated sleep apnea predicts increased blood pressure, hypertension, stroke, depression, and mortality.

Conclusions: The high prevalence of untreated sleep apnea and links to serious morbidity and mortality underscore the population burden of this condition and the need for greater clinical recognition and strategies to reduce prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The basic design and study protocol of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, which included the following: 18 channel poly-somnography; health history, medication, lifestyle, demographics interview; depression, anxiety scales; Epworth Sleepiness Scale; sleep problems (insomnia, RLS, sleepiness, etc) inventory; blood pressure: standard seated, arm: ankle index, 24-hour ambulatory monitoring; body habitus measures: weight, height, circumferences, skin fold; neuropsychological test battery; fasting blood sample; cardiovascular function, eg, carotid IMT; objective sleepiness (MSLT); Performance, reaction time (PVT); Horne-Ostberg, sleep diaries, DMV accident reports, death records, quality of life (SF36); genetic analyses, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Abbreviations: RLS, Restless Leg Syndrome; IMT, Intima Media Thickness; MSLT, Multiple Sleep Latency Test; PVT, Psychomotor Vigilance Task; DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Colten H, Altevogt B, editors. Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research, Board on Health Sciences Policy: Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Washington DC: Institute of Medicine/National Academies Press; 2006. pp. 20–32. - PubMed
    1. Somers VK, White DP, Amin R, et al. Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease an American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation scientific statement. Circulation. 2008 - PubMed
    1. Kryger MH. Sleep apnea. from the needles of Dionysius to continuous positive airway pressure. Arch Intern Med. 1983;143(12):2301–2303. - PubMed
    1. Lavie P. Who was the first to use the term Pickwickian in connection with sleepy patients? history of sleep apnoea syndrome. Sleep Med Rev. 2008;12(1):5–17. - PubMed
    1. Gastaut H, Tassinari CA, Duron B. Polygraphic study of the episodic diurnal and nocturnal (hypnic and respiratory) manifestations of the Pickwick syndrome. Brain Res. 1966;1(2):167–186. - PubMed

Publication types