Sleep disorders affect millions of people worldwide, yet many cases go undetected. A large population-based study published in Thorax, Helen Strongman, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues, examined health records across the United Kingdom suggests that two important sleep conditions, obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy, are likely being diagnosed far less often than they actually occur.
“Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and narcolepsy are estimated to affect approximately 4.8% and 0.047% of the UK population, respectively,” the researchers noted. “We do not know how many people have been diagnosed or how this varies over time and by demographic factors,” they added.
The researchers analyzed nearly two decades of medical data to better understand how frequently these disorders are…