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. 2024 Dec;115(6):970-979.
doi: 10.17269/s41997-024-00911-8. Epub 2024 Jul 22.

Prevalence and regional distribution of obstructive sleep apnea in Canada: Analysis from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Dorrie Rizzo #  1 , Marc Baltzan #  2   3 , Sanjeev Sirpal  4 , James Dosman  5 , Marta Kaminska  6 , Frances Chung  7
Affiliations

Prevalence and regional distribution of obstructive sleep apnea in Canada: Analysis from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Dorrie Rizzo et al. Can J Public Health. 2024 Dec.

Abstract
in English, French

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic condition that is often undiagnosed or diagnosed after many years of symptoms and has an impact on quality of life and several health factors. We estimated the Canadian national prevalence of OSA using a validated questionnaire and physical measurements in participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

Methods: The method used individual risk estimation based upon the validated STOP-BANG scale developed for OSA. This stratified population sample spans Canada to provide regional estimates.

Results: In this sample of adults aged 45 to 85 years old, the overall prevalence in 2015 of combined moderate and severe OSA in the 51,337 participants was 28.1% (95% confidence intervals, 27.8‒28.4). The regional prevalence varied statistically between Atlantic Canada and Western Canada (p < 0.001), although clinically the variations were limited. The provincial prevalence for moderate and severe OSA ranged from 27.5% (New Brunswick and British Columbia) to 29.1% (Manitoba). Body mass index (BMI) was the dominant determinant of the variance between provinces (β = 0.33, p < 0.001). Only 1.2% of participants had a clinical diagnosis of OSA.

Conclusion: The great majority (92.9%) of the participants at high risk of OSA were unrecognized and had no clinical diagnosis of OSA.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Le syndrome de l’apnée du sommeil (SAS) est une maladie chronique courante qui est souvent non diagnostiquée ou diagnostiquée plusieurs années après l’apparition de symptômes et qui a un impact sur la qualité de vie ainsi que plusieurs autres facteurs de santé. Nous avons estimé la prévalence nationale canadienne du SAS à l’aide d’un questionnaire validé et de mesures physiques chez les participants de l’Étude longitudinale canadienne sur le vieillissement (ÉLCV). MéTHODES: L’étude mesure l’estimation du risque individuel du SAS basée sur l’échelle validée STOP-BANG qui a été développée pour l’évaluation du SAS. Cet échantillon de population stratifié couvre tout le Canada et permet de fournir des estimations régionales. RéSULTATS: Dans cet échantillon d’adultes âgés de 45 à 85 ans, la prévalence globale du SAS modéré et sévère chez les 51 337 participants était de 28,1 % en 2015 (intervalles de confiance à 95 %: 27,8‒28,4). La prévalence régionale variait statistiquement entre le Canada atlantique et l’ouest du Canada (p < 0,001), bien que les variations cliniques soient limitées. La prévalence provinciale du SAS modéré et sévère variait entre 27,5 % (Nouveau-Brunswick et Colombie-Britannique) et 29,1 % (Manitoba). L’indice de masse corporelle représentait le facteur dominant de la variance entre les provinces (β = 0,33, p < 0,001). Seulement 1,2 % des participants avaient un diagnostic clinique du SAS. CONCLUSION: La grande majorité (92,9 %) des participants présentant un risque élevé du SAS n’étaient pas identifiés auparavant et n’avaient aucun diagnostic clinique du SAS.

Keywords: CLSA; Epidemiology; Health care; Obstructive sleep apnea; Population health; STOP-BANG questionnaire; Sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: This research has been conducted using the CLSA Comprehensive Baseline dataset version 4.0 and Tracking Baseline dataset version 3.7, under Application Number 1906008. The CLSA is led by Drs. Parminder Raina, Christina Wolfson, and Susan Kirkland. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CLSA map of Canada, with estimated prevalence of moderate or severe OSA
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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