ESTIMATION OF THE CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED PROPORTION OF SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME IN MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND WOMEN

The proportion of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in the general adult popu lation that goes undiagnosed was estimated from a sample of 4,925 empl oyed adults. Questionnaire data on doctor-diagnosed sleep apnea were f ollowed up to ascertain the prevalence of diagnosed sleep apnea. In-la boratory polysomnography on a subset of 1,090 participants was used to estimate screen-detected sleep apnea. In this population, without obv ious barriers to health care for sleep disorders, we estimate that 93% of women and 82% of men with moderate to severe SAS have not been cli nically diagnosed. These findings provide a baseline for assessing hea lth care resource needs for sleep apnea.