High prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea in truck drivers

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and may therefore affect traffic safety. In the pilot study by Korshøj et al., 57 male truck drivers answered questionnaires on daytime sleepiness and symptoms of OSA and were examined with pulse oximetry and nasal respiratory flows with the ApneaLink device. The authors report a surprisingly high prevalence of OSA of 56% with well-known markers including high BMI and hypertension among those affected. Due to the small number of participants the authors conclude that future large-scale studies should be performed.