Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated with Cardiovascular Mortality in Women?

Like men, women with severe OSA are at increased cardiovascular risk and should receive appropriate treatment.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular death in men but hasn't been well studied in women. To find out more, investigators at two sleep clinics in Spain prospectively followed 1116 women who underwent either polysomnography or respiratory polygraphy.

During a median follow-up of 72 months, 41 patients (3.6%) died of cardiovascular disease and 37 (3.3%) died of noncardiovascular disease. In untreated patients, cardiovascular mortality rates were as follows:

Control (patients without OSA): 0.28 per 100 person-years
Mild-to-moderate OSA: 0.94 per 100 person-years
Severe OSA: 3.71 per 100 person-years.

Patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP; median adherence, 6 hours per day) had cardiov…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute