What is it about?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition in children and adults though its symptoms may not always be recognized by doctors. In this study, we look at how often this diagnosis is made over time using the information collected by the health system across Alberta, Canada where there is publicly funded health system. We looked for OSA in children and adults as well as where the people who had a diagnosis of OSA lived
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Why is it important?
Between 2003 to 2020, the number of people with OSA increased from 0.14% to 4.59%. This increase was seen across age groups and was the same in males and females. OSA was more often identified in children aged 2-11 years and older adults. Despite these trends, OSA was not identified as often as expected based on studies in other places. OSA diagnosis varied by where people lived though with no consistent pattern except for less diagnosis in one large metropolitan centre.
Perspectives
While rates of OSA increased overtime in Alberta, these are much lower than expected based on estimates from other studies. This may mean that a large portion of persons with OSA in Alberta have not been diagnosed or that the system used to capture this data is not accurately capturing OSA as a diagnosis. Given that decisions about investments in healthcare services may be driven by this provincial data, gaps in diagnostic and treatment services for OSA may be driven by this inaccuracy. Uneven access to these services across the province may also be contributing to gaps in healthcare.
Dr Joanna E MacLean
University of Alberta
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Temporal and Regional Trends in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Administrative Health Data in Alberta, Canada, Annals of the American Thoracic Society, December 2022, American Thoracic Society,
DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.202209-789oc.
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