Originally published on medpagetoday.com. Click here to read the full article..
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that puts patients and those around them at risk can be minimized by early recognition and treatment or referral to a specialist, according to a primary care pulmonary medicine practitioner.
As many as 10% of adults in the U.S. have OSA, which goes unrecognized or undiagnosed in 75-80% of cases, said Ashley York, DNP, of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, during the American Association of Nurse Practitioners annual meeting.
The prevalence of OSA differs by patient age and sex. Men have a higher prevalence than women until age 50, after which the prevalence is similar between the sexes. York said older women have a fivefold greater prevalence of OSA than younger women, whereas the prevalence doubles in older versus younger men.