Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent, evidence on the mortality benefit of its treatment remains inconsistent. To address this gap, researchers evaluated the impact of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy on OSA-related mortality and hospitalization in 12,297 individuals with OSA receiving PAP treatment compared with 10,020 individuals who did not receive PAP. Over a follow-up period of four years, 1,067 participants died.
The mortality rate was significantly lower in the PAP group than in the non-PAP group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.87). Among 1,926 hospitalized participants, the hospitalization rate was also significantly lower in the PAP group compared with the non-PAP group (HR, 0.81). These findings suggest that PAP therapy may reduce the risks of mortality and hospitalization in individuals with OSA, highlighting the importance of timely treatment in this…
