title: Risk of obstructive sleep apnoea in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.
abstract: Sleep disorders are prevalent medical disorders in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether patients with RA are at an increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is unclear.
  
  
  
  Using population-based retrospective cohort study to examine the risk of OSA in patients with RA.
  
  
  
  We used claims data of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan.
  
  
  
  We identified a RA cohort with 33 418 patients newly diagnosed in 2000-2010 and a randomly selected non-RA comparison cohort with 33 418 individuals frequency matched by sex, age and diagnosis year.
  
  
  
  Incident OSA was estimated by the end of 2011. The HRs of OSA were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
  
  
  
  The overall incidence rate of OSA was 75% greater in the RA cohort than in the non-RA cohort (3.04 vs 1.73/10 000 person-years, p<0.001), with an adjusted HR (aHR) of 1.75 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.60). Stratified analyses by sex, age group and comorbidity revealed that the incidence rates of OSA associated with RA were higher in all subgroups.
  
  
  
  This population-based retrospective cohort study suggested that patients with RA should be monitored for the risk of developing OSA.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.|Intensive Care Unit, Chu Shang Show Chwan Hospital, Nantau, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Te-Chun
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.|Sleep Medical Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Liang-Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Hang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.|Sleep Medical Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shinn-Jye
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Te-Chun
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chuen-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wu-Huei
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.|College of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, YuanNan, China.
authors.forename: Fung-Chang
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY; RESPIRATORY MEDICINE (see Thoracic Medicine); RHEUMATOLOGY