Dr Tetyana Kendzerska: CHEST Data Highlight Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Mental Health

New data presented at CHEST 2024 in Boston revealed a significant link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and mental health disorders in middle-aged and older adults. Lead investigator Tetyana Kendzerska, MD, associate professor, Division of Respirology, University of Ottawa, and clinical director, Sleep Center, Ottaway Hospital, discussed the large-scale secondary analysis of data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

The study evaluated data from 30,097 participants, aged 45 to 85 years, to assess whether self-reported OSA was associated with an increased risk of mental health–related symptoms and diagnoses.

“Importantly, we consistently found a relationship between risk of sleep apnea and mental health conditions,” Kendzerska explained in an interview. “And cross-sectionally and longitudinally, we found a 30% to 60% increase in odds of having mental health conditions in people at high risk for sleep apnea, and we have done multiple sensitivity analyses. We have tried multiple definitions for sleep apnea, we tried multiple definitions for mental health just to test the robustness of our findings, and we confirmed this finding in different analyses.”

Key findings indicate that 25.9% of participants were at high risk for OSA, and those individuals had a notably higher prevalence of mental health issues compared with those without OSA. Specifically, 52.9% of those with OSA risk reported a composite mental health disorder, compared with 41.0% without OSA risk. Additionally, rates of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, clinical depression, psychological distress, and depressive symptoms were all higher among those at high risk for OSA.

The study highlights the need for further research to confirm this association, adjust for potential confounding factors, and explore the long-term effects of OSA on mental health. These findings could help guide the development of screening programs and interventions targeting individuals with concurrent OSA and mental health conditions.

Reference

Kendzerska T, Mallick R, Li W, et al. The relationship between concurrent mental health disorders and sleep-disordered breathing: a secondary cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. CHEST. 2024;166(4):A6194-A6195.