Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome - At-risk drivers

 Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome - At-risk drivers
 

 
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a leading cause of traffic accidents, leading to thousands of deaths and injuries annually, according to medical research.1,2 This is two to seven times the risk than in drivers without OSA.3 Some drivers with OSA may fall asleep at the wheel or be less alert due to lack of sleep. Often, OSA goes undiagnosed and therefore goes untreated. OSA not only increases the risk of having a traffic accident, it also increases the risk of suffering from worrying health problems such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and mood disorders.

What is OSA?

OSA is a serious medical condition characterized by disturbance or interruption of breathing due to partial obstruction or closure of the upper airways during sleep. This pathology causes repetitive sleep disturbances that can go as far as waking up. During sleep, the muscles in the back of the throat relax, which causes breathing to stop and resume. The oxygen level may also drop, which can lead to loud snoring. According to the Mayo Clinic, OSA is "a potentially serious sleep disorder" because people with it stop breathing several times during their sleep, often for more than a minute, and several hundred times in one. single night. This therefore significantly affects the quality of sleep, leading to significant drowsiness during the day.

Prevalence of OSA

It is estimated that nearly one in three drivers suffers from OSA, even if the syndrome is sometimes mild.4 In view of the danger that this represents in terms of public safety, it has therefore been suggested that compulsory OSA screening be instituted for reduce the risk of collisions involving vehicles.

The prevalence of OSA has been shown to be related to the two main factors of age and obesity, the latter being indicated by body mass index (BMI) .5 Although age and body mass index are the two main factors, it has been proven that only age is linked to both OSA and accidents. The average age of subjects with some degree of OSA was 48.7 years compared to 45.5 years for people who had not been diagnosed with OSA.6 Although older drivers are more at risk than the youngest, it should be noted that the latter have less professional driving experience on the road and therefore have a higher risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents.

Another significant finding revealed by the study, the prevalence of OSA depends on the average number of hours of sleep over a period of several consecutive nights spent. In people who sleep six hours or less per night, the prevalence of OSA is greater.

SAOS currents

The signs and symptoms of OSA result from disruption of the normal sleep cycle. Frequent awakenings and the inability to reach deep sleep stages can lead to non-restful sleep and result in severe sleepiness during the day (which can lead to traffic accidents, for example), changes in personality, memory loss, erectile dysfunction (impotence) and depression. It is rare for a patient to complain of frequent awakenings due to difficulty in breathing, but awakenings do occur. Excessive sleepiness during the day can be mild or severe depending on the degree of obstruction. In some cases, patients receiving OSA care still experience excessive fatigue during the day.

Predisposing factors

It often happens that another person notices the signs of OSA first. OSA is very often detected by the person sharing a bed or by someone watching the patient at rest. It is not uncommon for people with OSA to sleep very well. Here are some of the predisposing factors7:
Obesity: The main risk factor is excessive weight gain. A BMI ≥ 30 is an indicator of OSA. The accumulation of fat along the upper respiratory tract causes them to narrow and promote their closure during muscle relaxation.
Thick neck: A neck with a circumference greater than 43 cm (17 in) is associated with an increased risk of OSA. This is because a thick neck can cause the airways to narrow and be a sign of being overweight.
High blood pressure: OSA is 50% more common in people with high blood pressure.
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