Adherence to positive airway pressure therapy and healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with obstructive sleep apnea and obesity
Authors' conclusion
Greater adherence to PAP therapy is associated with significantly lower HCRU and costs in patients with OSA and obesity, highlighting the importance of implementing strategies to improve long term PAP adherence, potentially reducing economic and clinical burden.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with obesity (ICD-10 obesity/morbid obesity or BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who initiated positive airway pressure (PAP) between 2015 and 2021
- Participants
- 173,691 adults
- Exposure
- PAP adherent vs intermediate vs nonadherent
- Outcome
- All-cause ER visits and hospitalizations
Methodological detailsclaims data linked with cloud-connected PAP usage, inverse probability of treatment weighting
- Claims data linked with cloud-connected PAP usage
- Inverse probability of treatment weighting
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
year 1 post-index
| Group | Value | Hospitalizations |
|---|---|---|
| Adherent | 0.55 ± 1.77 | 0.10 ± 0.44 |
| Nonadherent | 0.69 ± 1.78 | 0.14 ± 0.56 |
Value
Adherent0.55 ± 1.77
Nonadherent0.69 ± 1.78
Hospitalizations
Adherent0.10 ± 0.44
Nonadherent0.14 ± 0.56
- Adherent vs Nonadherent: P < 0.001 — fewer emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations with Adherent
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | Adherent | Nonadherent | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total healthcare costs · year 1 post-indexAdherent vs Nonadherent · lower with Adherent · after IPTW | 11,332 ± 21,160 | 11,927 ± 20,212 | P < 0.001 |
Healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs · 2 years
- Adherent patients had lower HCRU and costs than nonadherent patients
Original publication
Adherence to positive airway pressure therapy and healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with obstructive sleep apnea and obesity. Int J Obes (Lond). Published 12 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →