Sleep Apnea Increases Risk of Heart Disease

A long-term epidemiologic study of middle-aged men has shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) caused a five-fold increase in heart disease that was independent of age, weight, blood pressure, and smoking status. The study was published in the July 15, 2002, issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Researchers found 22 of 60 men, aged 30-69, with OSA had at least one cardiovascular problem, compared with only eight of 122 men without OSA. All of the men were free of heart and pulmonary disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorder, alcohol dependency, or malignancy at the beginning of the study. The subjects were investigated over a seven-year period. By that time, the investigators had found that the most significant predictor of cardiovascular disease was the presence of OSA at baseline.

Patients with excessive daytime sleepiness were offered treatment with either continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)), surgery, or an oral appliance. Heart disease was observed in 21 of 37 subjects with OSA who were incompletely treated but in only one of the 15 subjects treated effectively. The study was conducted by researchers in the department of pulmonary medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital (Gothenburg, Sweden; www.sahlgrenska.se).




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Sahlgrenska U. Hospital