Sleep Apnea is Associated with Subclinical Myocardial Injury in the Community: The ARIC-SHHS Study

Gabriela Querejeta Roca, Susan Redline, Naresh Punjabi, Brian Clagget, Christie M Ballantyne, Scott D Solomon, and Amil M Shah

+ Author Information.

Corresponding Author: Amil M Shah, Email: ashah11@partners.org

Abstract

Aims: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, although the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We aimed to determine whether more severe OSA, measured by the respiratory disturbance index (RDI), is associated with subclinical myocardial injury and increased myocardial wall stress Methods and Results: 1,645 participants (62.5 ± 5.5 years and 54% women) free of coronary heart disease and heart failure and participating in both the Atherosclerosis Risk in the Communities and the Sleep Heart Health Studies underwent overnight polysomnography and measurement of high sensitivity Troponin T (hs-TnT) and N terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). OSA severity was defined using conventional clinical categories: none (RDI≤5), mild (RDI 5-15), moderate (RDI 15-30) and severe (RDI>30). Hs-TnT, but not NT-proBNP, was associated with OSA after adjusting for 17 potential confounders (p=0.02). Over a median of 12.4 [IQR 11.6-13.1] years follow up, hs-TnT was related to risk of death or incident heart failure in all OSA categories (p≤0.05 in each category). Conclusion: In middle aged to older individuals OSA severity is independently associated with higher levels of hs-TnT, suggesting that subclinical myocardial injury may play a role in the association between OSA and risk of heart failure. OSA was not associated with NT-proBNP levels after adjusting for multiple possible confounders.

KEYWORDS: Sleep Disorders, Troponin T, NT-proBNP, Risk factors

Accepted October 25, 2013
Received September 1, 2013

Read More: http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201309-1572OC?prevSearch=Amil+M.+Shah&searchHistoryKey=&#.UmphhRA-rT0