ArticleCureus2026
Sleep Health and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk in Portuguese Firefighters: Preliminary Baseline Findings From a Prospective Cohort.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and objective Firefighters face irregular schedules, night operations, and fragmented sleep, placing them at risk of sleep disorders and operational fatigue. Despite growing international evidence, sleep health data on Portuguese firefighters are scarce. In this study, we aimed to report baseline findings from the Associação Chama Saúde Initiative, a nationwide prospective cohort designed to characterize sleep health, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk, and diagnostic yield within a structured screening-to-diagnosis framework, as well as the operational sleep context among Portuguese firefighters. Methods Active-duty firefighters completed a structured baseline online questionnaire (n=1815), including demographic data, medical history, lifestyle factors, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the STOP-Bang questionnaire, and operational sleep variables. Participants screening with high risk of OSA proceeded to home sleep testing (HST) and Pulmonology referral. Outcomes included descriptive screening metrics, the feasibility of the diagnostic cascade, and early treatment uptake. Results The mean age distribution was skewed toward 30-49 years (63.4%), and 75% were male. BMI categorization indicated that 69% of participants were overweight or obese. Cardiovascular comorbidities were reported in 19%, and previous mental health diagnoses in 24%. Excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS >10) was present in 589 participants (32%). STOP-Bang identified a high OSA risk in 377 participants (21%). Operational sleep restriction was pronounced, with 59% reporting ≤4 hours of sleep during service, compared with 92% reporting ≥5 hours off duty. A structured diagnostic cascade was feasible at the national scale: 1815 participants were screened, 603 screened positive, 370 underwent HST, 228 were diagnosed with OSA, and 77 initiated continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)/auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP) treatment. Conclusions Preliminary baseline data indicate a substantial burden of sleep-related symptoms and elevated OSA risk among Portuguese firefighters, compounded by operational sleep restriction. Nationwide diagnostic implementation proved feasible, with early treatment uptake observed. Longitudinal follow-up will assess clinical outcomes and treatment adherence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.