By Reuters and Dailymail.com Reporter
Published: 14:47 BST, 20 June 2019 | Updated: 14:47 BST, 20 June 2019
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may affect as many as 37 percent of adults in North, Central and South America, according to a new review of epidemiological studies.
The work was presented at Sleep 2019, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio, Texas.
It came as no surprise to the review's senior author, Dr Adam Benjafield of ResMed, a manufacturer of medical breathing devices in San Diego, California.
The rising rate of obesity, a risk factor in OSA, has clearly been driving up rates, he told Reuters Health.
As many as 81 million adults in the hemisphere may have moderate to severe OSA, representing nearly 18 percent of the adult population
What's more, recent changes in scoring rules from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) mean more people fall into the bracket.
'This research highlights that there is a large burden of disease that may not be widely appreciated and speaks to