Health and Utilization Burden of OSA Among US Active-Duty Military Personnel

Despite the significant health and economic burden associated with OSA among civilians, little is known about this burden among active-duty military personnel.

What is the health and utilization burden of OSA among active-duty service members in the United States?

Data were derived from the Military Data Repository (2016-2021). Participants included active-duty service members aged < 65 years with 12 months of continuous enrollment prior to and following a new OSA diagnosis and no evidence of prior OSA or OSA treatment. They were matched 1:1 on demographic, clinical, and military characteristics to those without OSA. OSA and medical and psychiatric comorbidities were defined based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes. The impact of newly diagnosed OSA on psychiatric and medical outcomes was examined by using time-to-event models. The impact on 12-month health care resource utilization was examined by using generalized linear models.

A total of 59,203 service members with OSA were matched to 59,203 service members without OSA. Participants were 83% male and 65% White, with most < 44 years old (81%). OSA was associated with an increased risk for all physical and psychological health outcomes; relative to those without OSA, service members with OSA exhibited a fourfold increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (hazard ratio, 4.41; 95% CI, 4.04-4.82). In terms of utilization, OSA was associated with an additional 170,511 outpatient, 66 inpatient, and 1,852 emergency department encounters per year.

Our findings show that among US active-duty military personnel, OSA is associated with substantially increased risk for adverse physical and psychological health outcomes, as well as utilization burden over 12 months. Screening, triage, and treatment efforts could have broad impact in this population.