The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report on respiratory diseases that includes a comprehensive section on sleep apnea.
According to "Global Surveillance, Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A Comprehensive Approach," the WHO concludes sleep apnea, which it estimates affects 100 million people world-wide, is preventable, a chronic respiratory disease and the most common organic sleep disorder.
Further, the report includes estimates on the global economic cost of untreated sleep apnea, prevalence of sleep apnea, and impact on morbidity and mortality.
Log on to www.who.int/gard/publications/GARD%20Book%202007.pdf to download the report.
