ProSomnus Survey Finds 71% of Snorers Have Never Consulted a Healthcare Professional

ProSomnus, Inc. released the results of a survey conducted in partnership with Prodege, a cutting-edge consumer marketing and insights platform, on the major obstacles to identifying and treating snoring and OSA, including a lack of awareness of where to seek medical advice.

Key findings of the survey of 1,000 people 18 years and older include:

 41% of survey participants snore or know someone who snores
 74% know snoring is an indicator of OSA
 54% are aware that OSA is associated with comorbidities such as heart failure, stroke, and diabetes
 Yet 71% of snorers have never consulted a healthcare professional about their snoring
 58% of snorers do not know which type of healthcare professional to talk to about sleep issues
 70% of snorers report that they have not been treated
 74% of snorers interfere with someone else’s sleep and 72% interfere with their own sleep
 57% of snorers are unaware that it is possible to be tested for OSA at home
 94% of snorers who have used CPAP identified specific issues and 37% stopped using it

OSA is the recurring collapse of the airway during sleep, resulting in oxygen shortages and abrupt awakenings accompanied by snoring, gasping, or choking. In addition to daytime sleepiness, OSA is associated with serious comorbidities, including heart failure, stroke, hypertension, morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes. Patients with untreated OSA are 23 times more likely to suffer a heart attack and four times more likely to have a stroke. It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide and over 74 million people in North America suffer from OSA. Approximately 56 million of those 74 million people in North America are undiagnosed.

“Inaction among snorers, despite strong awareness that snoring is linked with OSA and comorbidities, is one of the novel and alarming findings from this survey. The survey results indicate that snorers do not know which type of medical practitioner to consult and have trepidations about the testing and treatment options presented to them,” said Len Liptak, Chief Executive Officer of ProSomnus. “Snorers are largely unaware of convenient home sleep testing options and patient-friendly, efficacious and safe, non-CPAP treatments such as precision oral devices.”

“Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment is one of the largest healthcare challenges and medtech business opportunities,” said Laing Rikkers, Executive Chair of ProSomnus. “It is well established that CPAP compliance is low and that there is a need for safe, effective, and easy alternatives. ProSomnus has demonstrated that precision oral appliances delivered by trained dentists are a reimbursed, scalable, fast-growing, and patient-preferred option. The Prodege survey shows that more education is required, and ProSomnus is committed to raising awareness in the clinical community, as well as in the general population to help accelerate getting patients into treatment for this serious condition.”

The online survey was conducted from April 17-20, 2023, using Prodege’s A.I.-enabled, DIY programming solution, Pollfish, among 1,000 individuals demographically representative of the general U.S. population.

More information about OSA and health risks associated with it is available at http://www.KnowMoreOSA.com.