Risk of obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes in Korean adults

We aimed to determine the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and diabetes in Korean adults. This study used data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019–2021). A total of 11,439 adults aged ≥40 years were included. The obstructive sleep apnea was evaluated using the Snoring, Tiredness during the daytime, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender (STOP-BANG) criteria. The prevalence of diabetes was 18.3% and a high risk for OSA was 7.3%. The prevalence of diabetes differed depending on the OSA risk, with the high-risk group demonstrating a significantly higher adjusted odds ratio for diabetes (2.78, 95% confidence interval = 2.24–3.44) compared with the low-risk group for OSA. Additionally, we identified a dose-response relationship, where the risk of diabetes increased as the number of risk factors for OSA increased (p < 0.001). People at high risk for OSA had a higher prevalence of diabetes than those who were not at risk. Given the increasing burden of diabetes and the potential association of OSA with other essential health conditions, further research is needed to evaluate the benefits of diabetes prevention or blood glucose testing in patients with OSA.