As a group, patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk of having automobile accidents. The aim of this paper is to determine the rate of automobile accidents in a large population of OSA patients using objective data from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), Canada. A retrospective study was conducted in a sleep disorders clinic and lab with OSA participants polygraphically confirmed between June 1990 and June 1994. Cases of OSA were divided a priori into groups based on apnea-hypopnea index and driving records were obtained from the MTO. Age and sex-matched controls were selected at random from licensed drivers in the MTO database. Analysis was restricted to drivers with the same license class. Increased automobile accidents in OSA may be restricted to cases with more severe apnea. Despite the large sample size, further study is needed with even larger numbers, including more measures of disease severity and rigorous control for driving exposure. (A)
Abstract