Treating sleep disorder could save NHS £28m and prevent 40,000 road accidents a year, finds new report

A report published by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) has found that doubling the number of people being successfully treated for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) could save the NHS up to £28m and prevent up to 40,000 road traffic accidents a year.¹

Around 667,000 (45%) of the 1.5 million people estimated to be living OSA in the UK have the moderate to severe forms of the disorder. However, fewer than half of these (around 330,000) are currently receiving treatment.

The new report, produced for the BLF by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), has revealed for the first time that treating all moderate and severe OSA cases would prevent around 40,000 road traffic accidents currently estimated to be caused by OSA-related sleepiness each year.

Through the reduction in road accidents, and through a reduced risk of OSA-related co-morbidities (such as stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease), the report also estimates that successfully diagnosing and treating OSA could save the NHS £28m a year in care costs.

OSA occurs when neck and throat muscles relax when a person is asleep, causing the airway to get blocked and the breathing to be interrupted. Left untreated, it can increase the risk of health problems including stroke, heart disease, depression, diabetes and high blood pressure, as well increasing the chances of road traffic accidents as much as seven-fold^2,3.

OSA is relatively easy to treat using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (C-PAP) mask. However, last year, a paper co-authored by the British Lung Foundation and published in the journal Thorax, found that the current availability of the sleep services needed to diagnose and treat OSA did not meet predicted demand throughout large parts of the country⁴.

Dr Martin Allen, Respiratory Consultant at University Hospital of North Staffordshire and Medical Adviser the British Lung Foundation:

"It is well-known among the medical community that OSA doesn't just pose a risk to one's quality of life, but can increase the chance of health hazards ranging from stroke and diabetes through to road accidents.

"However, this is the first time we have been able to quantify quite how severely our failure to properly tackle OSA in this country is impacting on NHS resources and the safety of our roads.

"With NHS resources under strain, and rates of OSA likely to increase with an ageing and increasingly overweight population, the need to raise awareness of OSA and to improve access to treatment and diagnostic services has surely never been greater".

Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation:

"Too often, a lack of awareness leads to the symptoms of OSA being not recognised, or dismissed simply as an irritation for anyone who shares a room with someone affected. However, OSA can have a severe impact on quality of life, and is associated with a range of serious health problems as well as risk of accident.

"In most cases, OSA is easily treatable in a way that can successfully minimise the associated risks. By highlighting the NHS savings that could be made and accidents that could be avoided through the management of OSA, I hope this report will act as a catalyst to the kind of investment in OSA awareness, diagnosis and treatment that we desperately need".

More information about OSA, including how to spot it and seek treatment, can be found on the British Lung Foundation website