The Clinical Impact of Systematic Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a Type 2 Diabetes Population—Adherence to the Screening-Diagnostic Process and the Acceptance and Adherence to the CPAP Therapy Compared to Regular Sleep Clinic Patients

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients further increasing their already high cardiovascular risk. As T2D patients typically not report OSA symptoms, systematic screening for OSA in this population is warranted. We aimed to determine the readiness of T2D patients to undergo screening and to compare their adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy with “regular” sleep clinic patients who typically seek medical advice on their own initiative. We therefore recruited 494 consecutive T2D patients and offered them OSA screening using home sleep monitoring (type IV device). All participants in high risk of moderate-to-severe OSA were recommended home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) followed by CPAP therapy. Patients were followed-up for 12 months and outcomes compared to 228 consecutive sleep clinic patients undergoing HSAT. Among 307 screened T2D patients, 94 (31%) were identified at high risk of moderate-to-severe OSA. Subsequently, 54 patients underwent HSAT, 51 were recommended, and 38 patients initiated CPAP (acceptance 75%). Among 228 sleep clinic patients, 92 (40%) were recommended and 74 patients initiated CPAP (acceptance 80%). After 1 year, 15 (39%) T2D and 29 (39%) sleep clinic patients showed good CPAP adherence (use ≥ 4 h/night ≥ 70% nights). In conclusion, 20 T2D patients needed to be screened in order to obtain one successfully treated patient. OSA screening in T2D patients identified 31% with moderate-to-severe OSA. Once diagnosed, their CPAP acceptance and adherence did not differ from sleep clinic patients. However, the reasons for the high dropout during the screening-diagnostic process impacting the overall success of the screening program need to be identified and addressed.