If you stay on CPAP therapy for over 10-15 years, you have a 62% lower risk of “all-cause” mortality than those that leave sleep apnea untreated. That’s the ultimate health benefit: longer, healthier life.
62% is a huge number and a bold claim, but these were the findings of Lisan, Van Sloten, Vidal, et al in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2019.
Sleep apnea is an interesting health disorder. Sleep apnea itself is rarely the cause of death, but there is a growing body of evidence of the impact sleep apnea has on the rest of your health and the comorbidities that are associated with sleep apnea.
The study by Lisan, et al is a powerful look at two variables: Sleep Apnea + Obesity. They used long-term follow up data on 392 patients over 11 years. These patients had an average AHI of 81.
Here’s an overview of the results:
- General Deaths: Of 392 patients, 96 died of all causes during the study period
- Treated OSA Deaths: Of those treated, 12 deaths occurred
- 12.8 deaths / 1,000 person years
- Untreated OSA Deaths: Of those untreated, 84 deaths occurred
- 24.7 deaths / 1,000 person years
- Mortality rates were similar for both cohorts for the first 6-7 years, but diverged after that point
At Lofta, we love this study. While the study is complex and heavy on math, the findings are powerfully simple: Treat Sleep Apnea with CPAP Therapy and you’ll likely add years to your life. It’s time to get started on your path toward better sleep and a healthier, longer life.
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Sources:
- Association of Positive Airway Pressure Prescription With Mortality in Patients With Obesity and Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Quentin Lisan, MD, et al; JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2730379
