OBJECTIVES : Inadequate sleep quality has a considerable impact on quality of life resulting in problems at work and private life as well. Traffic accidents associated with sleep apnoea have become an area of utmost concern. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological disease burden of sleep apnoea.

METHODS : Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100.000 population according to age groups and sex. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, drugs and medical aids. Patients with sleep apnoea were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: G4730.

RESULTS : The highest national patient numbers were in outpatient care: 13,752 men and 5,204 women in total 18,956 patients, followed by general practice care (6,321 men and 2,496 women, in total 8,817), and case numbers associated with the utilisation of medical aids (5,964 men, 1,535 women, in total 7,499). Based on patient numbers in outpatient care, prevalence in 100,000 among men was 294.4 patients, among women 101.9 patients, in total 193.9 patients. As regards sex distribution in outpatient care 72.5% of patients were men and 27.5% were women, while in the case of medical aids utilisation 79.5% were men and 20.5% were women.

CONCLUSIONS : Prevalence of sleep apnoea was found to be 2.9 times higher among men than among women. Special attention should be paid to male drivers.