Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in shift workers: A systematic review

Abstract

The obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common sleep disorders and is associated with increased risk for obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular event. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of OSA in shift workers. The systematic literature review was performed using the descriptors “sleep apnea” and “shift work”, in the databases PubMed, PubMed Central, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Web of Science and Scopus, including studies that presented the frequency of OSA in shift workers; published between 2004 and 2014; in English, Portuguese or Spanish; only with human beings, older than 18 years old; using the polysomnography. Review articles or those including participants with previous comorbidities (except overweight/obesity), treated for sleep disorders or pregnant women were excluded. From 1,428 studies identified, four were included in the analysis, resulting in 819 participants, with a predominance of men. The prevalence of OSA in shift workers varied from 14.3% to 38.1%, higher than that estimated for the general population, suggesting an important association with shift work and the need for prevention, diagnostic and intervention on the possible negative impacts of working range on the health of shift workers.