Patterns and stability of long-term adherence in continuous positive airway pressure therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: a cohort study

Purpose: • Despite being the gold standard for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy faces a persistent challenge: patient adherence. This study aimed to investigate long-term adherence and stabilisation patterns after initiating CPAP therapy. Methods: • We conducted a multicenter cohort study using tele-monitored CPAP data from adult patients treated for at least 24 months at two Danish sleep clinics. These data were combined with local hospital administrative data and national registry data. Results: • The study included data from 1,907 OSA patients who had initiated CPAP. The median age was 55 years (SD 12.5), and 26% were females. After long-term CPAP therapy, 45% of the OSA patients had achieved high adherence to CPAP, while 39% were CPAP non-adherent, and 16% of the patients were in the low-adherent group. The probability of high adherence after two years was 79% if the patient achieved high adherence within the first month. All groups showed stability within the first three months after CPAP initiation, particularly for the CPAP non-adherent patients and the patients with high adherence. Conclusion: • We found that less than half of the OSA patients achieved high adherence to CPAP therapy 24 months after CPAP initiation. Patients who achieved high adherence within the first month were more likely to maintain it.