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
Meta-Analysis
. 2009 Dec 15;5(6):573-81.

Obstructive sleep apnea and risk of motor vehicle crash: systematic review and meta-analysis

Stephen Tregear  1 , James Reston, Karen Schoelles, Barbara Phillips
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Obstructive sleep apnea and risk of motor vehicle crash: systematic review and meta-analysis

Stephen Tregear et al. J Clin Sleep Med. .

Abstract

Study objectives: We performed a systematic review of the OSA-related risk of crash in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The primary objective involved determining whether individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at an increased risk for a motor vehicle crash when compared to comparable individuals who do not have the disorder. A secondary objective involved determining what factors are associated with an increased motor vehicle crash risk among individuals with OSA.

Design/setting: Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed (PreMEDLINE), EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, TRIS, and the Cochrane library) were searched (through May 27, 2009), as well as the reference lists of all obtained articles. We included controlled studies (case-control or cohort) that evaluated crash risk in individuals with OSA. We evaluated the quality of each study and the interplay between the quality, quantity, robustness, and consistency of the body of evidence, and tested for publication bias. Data were extracted by 2 independent analysts. When appropriate, data from different studies were combined in a fixed- or random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: Individuals with OSA are clearly at increased risk for crash. The mean crash-rate ratio associated with OSA is likely to fall within the range of 1.21 to 4.89. Characteristics that may predict crash in drivers with OSA include BMI, apnea plus hypopnea index, oxygen saturation, and possibly daytime sleepiness.

Conclusions: Untreated sleep apnea is a significant contributor to motor vehicle crashes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Crash Risk among Individuals with OSA Compared to Controls (Random-effects Meta analysis)
Figure 2
Figure 2
OSA and Crash Risk (OR)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and General Estimates System (GES) [Accessed Feb 23, 2008]. http//www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/facts-figures/analysis-statistics....
    1. Young T, Peppard PE, Gottlieb DJ. Epidemiology of obstructive sleep apnea: a population health perspective. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002;165:1217–39. - PubMed
    1. Howard ME, Desai AV, Grunstein RR, et al. Sleepiness, sleep-disordered breathing, and accident risk factors in commercial vehicle drivers. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170:1014–21. - PubMed
    1. Pack AI, Maislin G, Staley B, et al. Impaired performance in commercial drivers: role of sleep apnea and short sleep duration. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006;174:446–54. Epub 2006 May 11. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shiomi T, Arita AT, Sasanabe R, et al. Falling asleep while driving and automobile accidents among patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. Psychiatry Clinical Neurosci. 2002;56:333–4. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources