Obstructive sleep apnea in patients with interstitial lung disease: Prevalence and predictive factors

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are chronic, progressive, parenchymal lung diseases with high morbidity and mortality. In recent studies, the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with ILD has been reported to be high. However, the prevalence and predictive factors of OSA in Korean ILD patients are not well defined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictive factors of OSA in Korean patients with ILD. Clinical data from 86 patients with ILD enrolled from December 2017 to April 2019 at Haeundae-Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea, were retrospectively analyzed. OSA was monitored with a level 4 portable device and defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of more than 5 per hour of sleep. The median follow-up period was 7 months. The mean age was 69.8 years, and 64% of participants were men. Among the ILDs, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was the most common (66.3%), followed by connective tissue disease–associated ILD (16.3%) and cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (5.8%). Forty-six ILD patients (53.5%) were diagnosed with OSA, and IPF patients had OSA more frequently (64.9% vs. 31.0%, p = 0.003) than those with other ILDs. Older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.19, p = 0.002), higher body weight (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.10, p = 0.012), and diabetes mellitus (OR 4.03, 95% CI 1.26–12.91, p = 0.019) were independent risk factors for OSA in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. In the multivariable Cox analysis, an IPF diagnosis was a significant risk factor for one-year mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 7.92, 95% CI: 1.01–61.83, p = 0.048) in ILD patients; however, OSA was not. In conclusion, half of Korean patients with ILD had OSA. Older age, higher body weight, and diabetes mellitus were risk factors for OSA in patients with ILD.