Electrocardiographically indicated cardiovascular disease in sleep-disordered breathing

The evidence for a role of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is inconclusive and limited to clinic-based studies or population-based studies using historical CVD data. The authors investigated cross-sectional association of SDB, assessed by overnight polysomnography and described by frequency of apnea/hypopnea episodes (Apnea–Hypopnea Index, AHI), with screen-detected CVD consisting of cardiologist-confirmed, electrocardiographically indicated coronary artery disease (ECG-CAD), left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH), arrhythmias, and conduction abnormalities in a general population. Using multiple logistic regression with adjustments for covariables, there was no significant association of AHI with ECG-CAD, ECG-LVH by voltage, arrhythmias, or conduction abnormalities. There was, however, an association between AHI and ECG-LVH by Cornell criteria. Using AHI as categorical variable, the adjusted odds of ECG-CAD in AHI ≥ 5 vs <5 was increased, but not significantly, at 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67, 2.51. The adjusted odds of ECG-LVH by Cornell criteria in AHI ≥ 15 vs <5 was significant at 3.19, 95% CI 1.16, 8.76. The authors found a weak or no association between screen-detected CVD and sleep apnea, but did find a threefold increased odds of screen-detected LVH, using Cornell criteria, in moderate or worse SDB. These findings contribute to accumulating evidence of possible association between CVD and sleep apnea in the general population and underscore the need to better understand how SDB affects cardiovascular pathology.