The effect of obstructive sleep apnea on morbidity and health care utilization of middle-aged and older adults

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether elderly subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had different morbidity and health care utilization than elderly subjects without OSA and middle‐aged patients with OSA 2 years before diagnosis. DESIGN: Case‐control study between January 2001 and April 2003. SETTING: Two sleep–wake disorders centers. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty‐eight elderly and 1,166 middle‐aged (aged 67–89 and 40–64, respectively) patients with OSA were matched 1:1 with healthy controls according to age, sex, geographic area, and primary physician. MEASUREMENTS: Polysomnography, medical diagnoses, and healthcare utilization. RESULTS: Healthcare costs 2 years before diagnosis were more than 1.8 times as high for elderly and middle‐aged patients with OSA as for controls (P