The Importance of Recognizing an Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep due to collapse of the upper airway, often interrupts sleep and results in cortical arousal or awakenings, after which normal breathing resumes. This cortical arousal component of OSA underpins the long-established association of OSA with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)1. Confirmation of this association was recently (2017) provided by a meta-analysis which denoted a 76% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 44% — 93%) prevalence of OSA among PTSD afflicted military veterans when, during overnight sleep studies, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was defined ≥ 5 and 44% (95% CI = 21% — 70%) when the AHI was defined as> 10.
Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Source Type: research