Obstructive sleep apnea and risk of motor vehicle accident.

Objective: To evaluate the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and risk of motor vehicle accident (MVA).

Methods: We conducted a cohort study at Kaiser Permanente Washington using electronic health plan data and linked Washington State Department of Transportation MVA records. We included persons 18-79 years of age during 2005-2014. OSA was ascertained via diagnosis codes. The primary outcome, first MVA during cohort follow-up, was ascertained from state MVA records. Risk factors for MVAs, including medical conditions and medication use, were ascertained from health plan data. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between OSA and study outcomes.

Results: Among the 879,547 eligible persons, the unadjusted rate of MVA in those with and without OSA was 238 and 229 per 10,000 person-years, respectively. A diagnosis of OSA was associated with a 17% increased risk of MVA (adjusted HR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.20).

Conclusion: In this large population-based study, a diagnosis of OSA was associated with a modestly increased risk of MVA.