Economic and medical significance of sleep-related breathing disorders

The improvement in outpatient sleep medical care in the Federal Republic of Germany over the last 10 years has been associated with an increase in the costs for diagnosis and therapy of sleep-related breathing disorders. The medical importance of these sleep-related problems consists in their high prevalence, especially in middle-aged men and risk groups, e.g. in patients with cardiovascular conditions. The effect on the performability of patients, which is manifested in the excessive daytime sleepiness at the workplace and in everyday life, are likewise significant. For social insurance agencies, immense costs arise from the sequelae and concomitant illnesses of untreated sleep-related breathing disorders. A comparison of the costs and the benefits of diagnosis, therapy and follow-up of patients with sleep-related breathing disorders over a period of 10 years shows that a mean annual monetary net benefit of DEM 2.3 billion in the Federal Republic of Germany can be assumed. The health economics analysis shows that an appropriate provision of sleep-medical care for the population is of great benefit for the health of the nation and thus for the entire economy.