Most companies involved in home oxygen therapy (HOT) achieved a growth of 5-10% in FY2014 based on sales. Specifically, this indicates that sales of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment for use with sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) treatment led the growth while oxygen supply equipment for use with HOT showed a slight increase. During the past several years, companies have been maintaining an annual rate of growth of 5-10% although their business differs in scale.

The number of HOT patients has been increasing at an annual rate of 3,000 during the past several years. Equipment used for HOT includes oxygen concentrators, liquid oxygen supply equipment, and stationary oxygen cylinders. In addition, HOT patients use mobile oxygen cylinders (gas cylinders or liquid oxygen cylinders). Most patients use oxygen concentrators when at home. The increase of 3,000 patients a year should therefore also indicate an increase in the number of patients using oxygen concentrators.

The number of patients using oxygen concentrators in 2014 is expected to amount to 162,000, with the number of HOT patients to 170,000. Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are said to be likely to become HOT patients. The number of COPD patients who are being treated is around 220,000 according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the number of potential patients is estimated to be 5.3 million. Of the number of COPD patients, most of them are expected to be HOT patients. When considering the shift to the aging society and the number of possible COPD patients, it seemed that the increase of the number of HOT patient would proceed faster. However, the increase in the number of HOT patients has maintained an annual level of 3,000 because of the progress made in medication for treatment of respiratory disorders.