Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may significantly raise the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, specifically depression and anxiety, according to a study published on November 11 in Depression and Anxiety.
The study highlights the need for screening and management strategies for high-risk populations, including patients who are younger and overweight, the authors wrote.
“It is suggested that addressing OSA may be crucial for preventing or mitigating psychiatric conditions,” wrote the authors, led by Yi Hsien Hsieh of Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan.
Today, the occurrence of OSA is rising, and it is recognized that OSA can lead to mental health problems due to changes in the body’s physiological structure. Since some of these mental health problems can be treated and reversed, it’s critical to understand their underlying causes and the most effective treatments, according to the study.
To investigate the potential association between sleep apnea and psychiatric disorders, a retrospective study analyzing electronic health records (EHRs) from the TriNetX US Network was analyzed. The data included 368,125 OSA patients and over 4 million individuals without OSA ranging in ages from 18 to 65. Propensity score matching was applied to balance the baseline characteristics. The eight-year risk of newly diagnosed psychiatric disorders was the primary outcome, which was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models.
Over eight years, patients with OSA showed significantly higher cumulative probabilities for psychiatric disorders. For depressive disorders, the probabilities were 27.4% in OSA patients versus 15.8% in non-OSA patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.913). For anxiety disorders, it was 37.4% in OSA patients compared to 25.4% in non-OSA patients (HR: 1.663). For bipolar disorder, the increased risk in OSA patients was 1.7% versus 0.9% in patients without OSA (HR: 1.885), the authors wrote.
Additionally, younger patients and those with a higher BMI were at greater risk for psychiatric disorders, they wrote.
Nevertheless, the study had shortcomings. Within the dataset, intellectual disability was not identified and could not be excluded, which may represent a potential confounder, the authors wrote.
“The results of this study highlight the substantial psychiatric risks associated with OSA, especially regarding depressive and anxiety disorders,” Hsieh and co-investigators wrote.
