Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a respiratory condition in which the throat repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. Air is blocked from getting into the lungs, and low oxygen levels cause the brain to wake the person up.
OSA can have devastating health consequences for sufferers, including high blood pressure, diabetes, an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, impaired concentration and memory loss.
Research has shown that the condition causes a large number of road traffic accidents amongst those who are undiagnosed; due to sleep deprivation sufferers have between a seven and twelve fold increased risk of road accidents while driving.
OSA also can also lead to the breakdown of families with partner’s complaints about snoring and perpetual tiredness leading to the end of relationships.
At present an estimated 1.2 million people in the UK have the disease, but 80% to 90% of sufferers are undiagnosed (NICE 07).
However, once diagnosed most patients can be effectively treated with a programme of weight loss and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. CPAP significantly reduces a patient’s blood pressure and improves symptoms, cognitive function, quality of life and driving abilities.
Untreated cases of obstructive OSA are estimated to cost the NHS £432million per year. Moreover, treating just 500 patients for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome for five years could be expected to save an estimated £5.3 million in road accidents avoided10.
The BLF calls on the next Government to make Obstructive Sleep Apnoea an NHS priority, working to improve rates of diagnosis and to end both the limited provision and postcode lottery of treatment which currently exists amongst those who are diagnosed but not getting the treatment they need.
The British Lung Foundation calls on the next government to make improving diagnosis and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea a priority
