Associations of diabetes mellitus and hypertension with adherence to continuous positive airway pressure therapy in male patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Objectives: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first line of therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Adherence to CPAP, however, is known to be problematic, and its associations with the comorbidities of hypertension and diabetes mellitus have not been sufficiently evaluated. Thus, we investigated the associations of CPAP therapy adherence with comorbidities of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study among 497 male patients with OSA on CPAP therapy. Participants with pretreatment Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI) data based on overnight polysomnographic recordings completed a questionnaire. Adherence data for CPAP therapy were collected using a smart card system. We classified CPAP use of ≥4 hours per night and ≥70% of nights as good adherence; other CPAP use was categorized as poor adherence. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for poor adherence to CPAP therapy in the hypertension and diabetes mellitus groups, compared with the no comorbidity group, adjusting for body mass index, duration of CPAP therapy, AHI, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Results: In the no comorbidity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus groups, 43.4%, 44.7%, and 56.0%, respectively, had poor adherence to CPAP therapy. Being in the diabetes mellitus group was significantly associated with poor adherence to CPAP therapy (OR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.18–2.92, p=0.007); there was no association for the hypertension group. Conclusion: Our results indicate that comorbidity of diabetes mellitus is associated with poor adherence to CPAP therapy in male patients with OSA.