Medical Surveillance Monthly Report
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a growing health concern in both civilian and military populations. Individuals who suffer from OSA have increased rates of cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, motor vehicle accidents, cognitive impairment, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Data from the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) were utilized to examine the incidence of OSA and associated attrition from service in active component military members from 1 January 2004 through 31 May 2016. The study identified 223,731 incident cases of OSA with an overall incidence rate of 139.2 per10,000 person-years, between 2004 and 2015. Rates increased more than3-fold between 2004 and 2015. In 2015, 48.1% of all incident cases of OSA were diagnosed in the last year of service. The high percentage of cases diagnosed prior to separation from service is concerning because OSA is a treatable and partially preventable disease. OSA represents a large health and economic burden for the armed services and yet there are persistent research gaps in appropriate screening and prevention strategies to improve both individual health and mission performance
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1021028
Entities
People
- Amy E. Rogers
- Devin J. Hunt
- Francis L. O'donnell
- Gi-taik Oh
- Leslie L. Clark
- Shauna Stahlman
- Stephen B. Taubman
Organizations
- Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center