Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders. Role of comorbidities in OSA has emerged recently. High comorbidity burden worsens prognosis.  We analyzed patients diagnosed with OSA and their comorbidities in large tertiary-academic center.

The Leaf research database was used to obtain retrospective data for all patients with ICD-9 or ICD-10 code diagnosis for obstructive sleep apnea (using ICD 9 – 327.23 and ICD 10 G47.33) at the University of Washington. Demographics, employment and insurance are shown. Sub-analysis for comorbidities was performed.

Obstructive sleep apnea was diagnosed in n = 61814 patients. We analyzed comorbidities of OSA. These included: obesity 44.3% (n=27406), hyperlipidemia 41.7% (n=25803), depression 36.8% (n=22725), respiratory abnormalities 33.2% (n=20508), fatigue 31.3% (n=19341), diabetes 30.0% (n=18550), anxiety 30.0% (n=18550), tobacco/nicotine 14.8% (n=9147), kidney-related diseases 12.7% (n=7844), fibromyalgia 10.6% (n=6531), circulatory disorders 8.2% (n=5078), episodic migraine 8.2% (n=5059), stroke 5.5% (n=3430), seizures 4.4% (n=2742), alcohol disorders 4.3% (n=2668), and cannabis disorders 3.9% (2401). Significant proportion of patients had comorbid hypertension 58.6% (n=36243). Of note, 30.5% of OSA patients had commercial insurance. 28.6% were fully employed; 27.5% were unemployed and 23.3% were retired.

Patients diagnosed with OSA have a significant comorbidity burden. Large proportion of patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea were diagnosed with comorbid hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression. OSA patients have a lower rate of employment compared to the general population, demonstrating the functional impact of the disorder and or its comorbidities. Careful assessment of comorbidities should become the standard clinical practice for OSA patients.