Tens of thousands with unpublished sleep apnea in Iceland

There are probably about 20-25 thousand people in Iceland with an undefined sleep apnea. Today, 12,000 people are being treated for sleep apnea, but in the coming years it may be that 25-30 thousand Icelanders will have a sleep apnea.

This is stated in the reply of Ásu Jóhannesdóttir, Head of Department of Sleeping Center Landspítali, in response to the inquiry mbl.is.

Waiting time after a sleeping result can take some time, but mbl.is has an example of a patient who received the answers from the Landspítali that he had to wait six months after an analysis from a sleep study. In addition, he would have to wait for another eight months for the sleeping device itself.

It is therefore 14 months from the sleep study until treatment could begin.

Waiting time after sleeping under two weeks

« To some extent, we have a long waiting list, but not all the story is told. We prioritize patients at all levels of the process, » says Ása.

She mentions that the waiting time has been reduced after getting into the study itself significantly and is now less than two weeks.

Those diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, have high symptoms and have other diseases receive treatment within two months.

The process then takes about 2-6 months for those with medium sleep apnea, but those with mild sleep apnea may have to wait in the range of 10-12 months after the outcome of the sleep study and treatment.

« There, we have managed to reduce the waiting time recently for a large part of this group by starting treatment the same day you meet a doctor. »

Great increase in several years

She points out that by 2024, the Landspitali received 2900 requests to conduct a sleep study. The Landspitali also received 3400 requests for treatment with sleep apnea.

« To describe the increase, it should be noted that 2019 began almost 1000 people treatment for sleep apnea at Landspitali. Four years later, we had reached about 2000 people who began treatment this year.

There are 12,000 people on treatment today and we need to keep up with the shovels because forecasts expect further growth. There are also many people in the community with undetectable sleep apnea, probably between 20-25,000 people. It is also worth noting that although sleep apnea is more common among men, women are increasingly diagnosed, ”says Ása.

« This is a challenge« 

She says that with the growing population growth, the aging of the nation and the increased obesity, the Landspítali estimate that within 5 – 10 years there will be 25-30,000 individuals with a sleeping machine in Iceland.

« This is a challenge and we have to think in solutions. Knowledge and innovation, utilization of artificial intelligence, discard in the industry.

She says the situation on the waiting list is ever -changing. Before and at the end of the year, for example, there was a human race and it was therefore difficult to keep up with increased treatment for treatment.

She says, however, that it looks better and that it should work well to man all positions in the near future.

Changes were made at the turn of the year

« At the turn of the year, changes were made in the organization of the business with the aim of increasing efficiency. places, ”says Asa.

Asa says that although the waiting list is long, it has actually shortened the proportion of population growth.