Impact of sleep apnea on direct societal and healthcare expenses in elderly patients: A nationwide register-based case-control study

A total of 21,555 elderly with OSA (mean age 71 years, 29.1 % female) were included and matched to 86,212 controls. During the year of diagnosis, 11.8 % of cases were employed, whereas 76.3 % received public pension. Compared to controls, OSA patients had significantly lower employment income (€23,102 vs. €23,810; p < 0.001 prior to, and €4381 vs €4486 (p < 0.001 after diagnosis) and higher public transfers. Healthcare costs nearly doubled in the index year compared to the preceding year, resulting in a net cost difference of €5219 per patient-year (p < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with OSA incur substantially increased societal and healthcare-related costs compared to matched controls. Our findings underscore the need for early identification and treatment of OSA to potentially mitigate economic burden.