STOP-Bang-Defined Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk and Organ-Specific Comorbidity Patterns in Korean Adults: A Descriptive Literature-Based Synthesis of KNHANES Studies

Background and Objective Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent but substantially underdiagnosed; in Korea, most population-based data rely on STOP-Bang screening rather than polysomnography. We investigated whether screening-defined OSA risk correlates with multi-organ disease burden, specifically blood pressure dysregulation, cardiovascular morbidity, renal injury, and ophthalmological vulnerability.Methods A literature-based analysis used seven population-based cross-sectional studies from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2019–2021). All studies defined OSA risk using the STOP-Bang questionnaire and reported organ-specific outcomes, including uncontrolled hypertension, cardiovascular morbidity, albuminuria, chronic kidney disease, and glaucoma or intraocular pressure (IOP). Behavioral correlates were also summarized.Results In non-pooled estimates extracted from individual source studies, high STOP-Bang risk was associated with uncontrolled hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–2.26) and cardiovascular morbidity (aOR 2.05; 95% CI 1.29–3.24) in adults aged ≥40. Albuminuria was associated with high OSA risk in one model direction (aOR 1.53; 95% CI 1.20–1.95), while high STOP-Bang risk was associated with albuminuria in a separate model direction (aOR 2.51; 95% CI 1.89–3.31). Each one-unit STOP-Bang increase was associated with glaucoma (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.00–1.20; p=0.044) and higher IOP (β=0.171 mm Hg; 95% CI 0.125–0.218; p<0.001). Former smoking and high-risk alcohol use were independently associated with high-risk OSA status.Conclusions In the Korean general population, screening-defined OSA risk is consistently associated with organ-specific comorbidity patterns across cardiometabolic, renal, and ophthalmological domains. These cross-sectional findings suggest high STOP-Bang risk may serve as a practical marker of cardiometabolic, renal, and ophthalmological vulnerability, rather than indicating a causal disease sequence.