Chandigarh A day before World Sleep Day, sleep specialists from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) laid focus on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OCA), a sleep disorder caused by repeated obstruction of the airway during sleep, leading to intermittent oxygen deprivation and fragmented sleep.
The experts called upon healthcare systems to prioritise early detection and management of OSA as an important strategy to reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India.
Dr Sandeep Bansal, professor in the otolaryngology department, mentioned that nearly one billion adults worldwide, aged 30-69 years are estimated to suffer from OSA and India is expected to carry a significant share of this burden. Indian studies suggest that around 9-13% of adults may have moderate to severe OSA, translating to over 100 million potentially affected individuals in the country, with the majority remaining undiagnosed.
Untreated OSA is strongly linked with several major NCD diseases including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and others. Repeated oxygen deprivation during sleep can trigger inflammation, insulin resistance and cardiometabolic diseases. Dr Sandeep Bansal said “India cannot effectively fight the epidemic of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease without addressing the silent epidemic of sleep apnea.”
Sleep health remains one of the most neglected pillars of preventive medicine in India. Experts suggested OSA screening as a powerful preventive strategy for public health.
