Results of meta-regression analysis.
| Exposure | Covariate* | N studies | Coefficient (95% CI) | P value |
| OSA | % Male | 22 | −0.007 (−0.02 to 0.02) | 0.94 |
| OSA | Age | 11 | 0.04 (0.01 to 0.07) | 0.003 |
| OSA | Publication year | 22 | −0.05 (−0.09 to −0.009) | 0.017 |
| OSA | % Diabetes | 9 | 0.005 (−0.004 to 0.001) | 0.31 |
Age and publication year were significant explanatory variables for the variation in the risk of mortality associated with OSA.
*Age was the mean age of study population; otherwise, the median age was used. Publication year is per increasing year of publication.
OSA, obstructive sleep apnoea.