Aneurysm size and blood pressure severity in patients with intracranial aneurysms and sleep apnea

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for hypertension. Hypertension is associated with aneurysm formation, growth, and rupture of intracranial aneurysm (IA). Retrospectively, symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are more prevalent in patients with IAs. Studies investigating the prevalence and effect of objectively measured sleep apnea in these patients are sparse. We report on the baseline data of an ongoing prospective study. We cross-sectionally analyzed whether obstructive sleep apnea was associated with larger IAs and increased need for antihypertensive medications in a population of patients with unruptured IA. Methods: 130 adult (>= 18 years) patients with unruptured IAs were recruited. Patients with ischemic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 3 months prior to screening were excluded. We assessed obstructive sleep apnea by full-night respiratory polygraphy. Aneurysm size and antihypertensive medication-as a surrogate parameter for the severity of hypertension-were compared between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index >5 events/h). Aneurysm growth and rupture rate were retrospectively analyzed. Results: 101 patients completed the study protocol. Obstructive sleep apnea was diagnosed in 68.0% (17) of male and 34.2% (26) of female participants and associated with more severe hypertension (1.536 +/- 0.2 vs 0.74 +/- 0.1 drugs; P =.01) and larger aneurysms (6.9 +/- 1.0 vs 3.8 +/- 0.5 mm; P =.01). Conclusions: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea had more antihypertensive medication and larger IAs, probably due to accelerated aneurysm growth. Sleep apnea should be considered in patients with IAs. More research is needed to investigate the effects of sleep apnea on IAs and aneurysm outcome.