Obstructive Sport Apnea (OSA) and contact sports: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a frequently under-diagnosed sleep disorder, may lead to future poor health, performance, and wellbeing. Increased OSA prevalence has been reported in individuals who have had a head injury.We systematically searched EMBASE, PSYCINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE and PUBMED to 18th June 2022. OSA prevalence and demographic data was extracted according to PRISMA guidelines from 14 eligible studies with 6,116 participants, with study quality assessed using the modified Downs and Black Score.Meta-analysis of proportions yielded a pooled OSA prevalence of 30.0% (95% confidence interval (CI), 24.0–36.0%) with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 94.4%, p<0.001). Sub-group analysis by different sports gave OSA prevalence of: American football (29% (95%CI: 22–36%); Rugby (35.0% (95%CI: 24.0–47.0%)) and ‘other contact’ sports (31% (95%CI: 24.0–37.0%)). Prevalence was higher in retired (from play) (34.0% (95%CI: 25.0–44.0%)) v current (21.0% (95%CI: 10.0–32.0%)) American football players.The prevalence of OSA in contact sports was higher than that reported in the general population, especially in retired American Football players. Further high-quality longitudinal studies in a wider range of contact sports are required to explore OSA prevalence and its possible effects on participants performance and current and future health.

Keywords

• Sleep disordered breathing
• OSA
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Sleep Disorder
• Contact Sports