title: Employer-mandated sleep apnea screening and diagnosis in commercial drivers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common among commercial drivers and associated with health/safety risks, leading several trucking firms to mandate OSA screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 19,371 commercial drivers were screened for OSA with an online questionnaire (Somni-Sage reg) through employer mandates. Questionnaire and polysomnography results were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Screening categorized 5908 drivers (30%) as higher risk. To date, employers have sent 2103 higher-risk drivers for polysomnography, demonstrating that 68% of high-risk drivers tested had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than 10 and 80% had an AHI of 5 or more. A conservative prevalence estimate for OSA (AHI > 10) was 21% among the drivers studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Online screening followed by polysomnography for high-risk drivers demonstrates as many as 21% of commercial drivers may have OSA. Mandatory screening can have a high yield among commercial drivers.
authors: Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Berger
authors: Vasileia
authors: V
authors: Varvarigou
authors: Albert
authors: A
authors: Rielly
authors: Charles A
authors: CA
authors: Czeisler
authors: Atul
authors: A
authors: Malhotra
authors: Stefanos N
authors: SN
authors: Kales
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult