OBJECTIVES:

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common breathing disorder with an estimated prevalence of 7% in the general population. Besides being associated with insomnia and daytime sleepiness, OSA is associated with other comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression. Our aim was to determine the productivity burden of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in Australia using productivity-adjusted life year (PALY).

METHODS:

Using life table modelling, we built a multistate Markov model to estimate the impact of OSA on the whole working age Australian population in 2021 (18 to 67 years) with OSA over their lifetime. The model also captured the impact of OSA on CVD, type 2 diabetes, depression and vehicle-related accidents. Prevalence and incidence data for OSA and comorbidities, as well as Australian specific labour data was extracted from published sources. To test the effect of a hypothetical intervention, a second cohort was then modelled assuming a 15% reduction in OSA prevalence and a 10% reduction in comorbidities in OSA patients.

RESULTS: Over a lifetime, Australian population with OSA accrued 262,659,069 years of life lived and 189, 536,618 and PALYs. A reduction of 15% in OSA prevalence and a 10% reduction of comorbidities would result in cohort gaining 216,774 extra years of life lived and 206,921 more PALYs. This resulted in a more than AU$33 billion of lost gross domestic product over the lifetime of the working population.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study highlights the substantial burden of OSA in the Australian population and the need to tailor interventions at population level to reduce the health and economic impact.