I would not have thought that there are 170 million people in the americas with clinically important sleep apnea based on our conservative estimates the study s first author atul malhotra md said in an interview in advance of the annual meeting of the associated professional sleep societies even if we restrict the conversation to moderate to severe sleep apnea we still see 81. With almost 1 billion people affected and with prevalence exceeding 50 in some countries effective diagnostic and treatment strategies are needed to minimise the negative health impacts and to maximise cost effectiveness. The Global Burden Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Osa is a highly prevalent condition particularly in individuals with established risk factors and comorbid conditions. Prevalence of sleep apnea 2019 . Percentage of adults using melatonin. Public health and safety are threatened by the increasing prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea which now afflicts at least 25 million adults in the u s accord...