Impact of high-risk of obstructive sleep apnea on health-related quality of life: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019–2021

<bold>Background:</bold> Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) impairs quality of life (QoL), affecting both physical and mental functions. However, its disease burden remains unknown in general population. <bold>Objective:</bold> To investigate the association between OSA and health-related QoL in general Korean population. <bold>Methods:</bold> This study analyzed cross-sectional datasets of adults (≥ 40 years) in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019–2021. Health-related QoL was assessed using the 3-level EuroQoL 5-dimension component (EQ-5D-3L) index score. The high-risk of OSA was determined using the STOP-Bang questionnaire (score ≥ 3). <bold>Results:</bold> The prevalence of high-risk of OSA was 24.2%. The overall EQ-5D-3L index score was significantly lower in subjects with high-risk of OSA than with low-risk of OSA (0.94 ± 0.01 vs. 0.95 ± 0.01, p<0.001). In multivariate analyses, high-risk of OSA was significantly associated with QoL, independent of confunders. In dimension analyses, OSA was more associated with self-care, usual activities, and anxiety/depression than with mobility or pain/discomfort in the EQ-5D. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> The present study demonstrated significant association between OSA and health-related QoL. These findings indicate a considerable burden of OSA in the general population and warrant further investigations to assess the disease burden of OSA. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA2685/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>