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Sleep-disordered breathing and mortality: a prospective cohort study.

TitleSleep-disordered breathing and mortality: a prospective cohort study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsPunjabi, NM, Caffo, BS, Goodwin, JL, Gottlieb, DJ, Newman, AB, O'Connor, GT, Rapoport, DM, Redline, S, Resnick, HE, Robbins, JA, Shahar, E, Unruh, ML, Samet, JM
JournalPLoS Med
Volume6
Issue8
Paginatione1000132
Date Published2009 Aug
ISSN1549-1676
KeywordsAged, Coronary Artery Disease, Female, Humans, Hypoxia, Male, Middle Aged, Odds Ratio, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Survival Analysis
Abstract<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Sleep-disordered breathing is a common condition associated with adverse health outcomes including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The overall objective of this study was to determine whether sleep-disordered breathing and its sequelae of intermittent hypoxemia and recurrent arousals are associated with mortality in a community sample of adults aged 40 years or older.</p><p><b>METHODS AND FINDINGS: </b>We prospectively examined whether sleep-disordered breathing was associated with an increased risk of death from any cause in 6,441 men and women participating in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Sleep-disordered breathing was assessed with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) based on an in-home polysomnogram. Survival analysis and proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios for mortality after adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking status, body mass index, and prevalent medical conditions. The average follow-up period for the cohort was 8.2 y during which 1,047 participants (587 men and 460 women) died. Compared to those without sleep-disordered breathing (AHI: <5 events/h), the fully adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality in those with mild (AHI: 5.0-14.9 events/h), moderate (AHI: 15.0-29.9 events/h), and severe (AHI: >or=30.0 events/h) sleep-disordered breathing were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.80-1.08), 1.17 (95% CI: 0.97-1.42), and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.14-1.86), respectively. Stratified analyses by sex and age showed that the increased risk of death associated with severe sleep-disordered breathing was statistically significant in men aged 40-70 y (hazard ratio: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.31-3.33). Measures of sleep-related intermittent hypoxemia, but not sleep fragmentation, were independently associated with all-cause mortality. Coronary artery disease-related mortality associated with sleep-disordered breathing showed a pattern of association similar to all-cause mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with all-cause mortality and specifically that due to coronary artery disease, particularly in men aged 40-70 y with severe sleep-disordered breathing. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.</p>
DOI10.1371/journal.pmed.1000132
Alternate JournalPLoS Med.
PubMed ID19688045
PubMed Central IDPMC2722083
Grant ListU01-HL53937 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053916 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53940 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL63463 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL063463 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53934 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53931 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53938 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053938 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL63429 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53916 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
K25 EB003491-03 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States
U01-HL53941 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053941 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053934 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL063429 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053937 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
K25 EB003491 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL053931 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
K25 EB003491-01A2 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States
K25 EB003491-02 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States