| Popis: |
Introduction Obstructive sleep apnoea is being increasingly recognised among Indigenous Australian adults. Moreover, other medical co-morbidities are also highly prevalent among Indigenous Australians. The bidirectional relationship between OSA and long-term metabolic consequences and its linkage to chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes is well recognised. However, literature pertaining to presence of medical co-morbidities among Indigenous patients diagnosed with OSA is sparce. We therefore aimed to document the medical co-morbidities among Indigenous patients diagnosed to have OSA. Methods Demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and presence of medical co-morbidities among patients diagnosed to have OSA with an AHI >5/hour were assessed. Results Of a total 741 Indigenous patients who underwent a diagnostic sleep study between 2011- 2020, 662/741 (89%) were diagnosed to have OSA. At least one comorbidity was reported in 79% of patients, of which Hypertension was the most common in 52%, followed by diabetes in 39% and heart disease including coronary artery disease in 37%. Among patients with a comorbidity, 58% had three or more recorded. The prevalence of comorbidity and multimorbidity did not significantly differ by severity of OSA, aside from hypertension which was noted in 57% of patients with severe OSA compared to 46% with mild OSA. Furthermore, patients who have severe OSA were more likely to be male. Discussion Medical co-morbidities are highly prevalent among Indigenous patients diagnosed to have OSA, especially presence of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. The long-term consequences are not known. Hence, further studies are warranted. |
