VANCOUVER, B.C. — Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea are more than twice as likely to have a family history of premature coronary artery disease mortality as are those without the sleep disorder, Apoor S. Gami, M.D., reported at a meeting sponsored by the International Academy of Cardiology.
This strong association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and familial premature CAD mortality is independent of traditional CAD risk factors. Since a family history of early mortality due to coronary artery disease is itself a powerful independent risk factor for CAD, it's clear that patients with OSA are at increased cardiovascular risk, regardless of their traditional risk factor profile, added Dr. Gami of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
The cardiologist presented a cross-sectional study involving 588 subjects who underwent diagnostic polysomnography and were interviewed in detail about their family history of CAD. Of the 588 patients, 316 were diagnosed with OSA on the basis of an apnea-hypopnea index score of more than five events per hour on polysomnography.
The prevalence of a family history of premature CAD mortality—defined as death prior to age 55 in men and age 65 in women—was 11.6% in the subgroup with OSA but only 6.0% in those without the sleep disorder.
After adjustment for obesity, gender, and a personal history of CAD, patients with OSA had a 2.1-fold increased risk of having a family history of premature CAD mortality.