Obstructive sleep apnea associated with incident heart failure, death in women

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/bawh-osa101315.php

Public Release: 13-Oct-2015
Obstructive sleep apnea associated with incident heart failure, death in women
In women, sleep apnea associated with higher levels of troponin, a marker for heart injury
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the development of subsequent cardiovascular (CV) complications differ by sex, but it is not clear from prior research whether the effects of sleep apnea on heart disease is similar for men and women.

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Results of the research, published in Circulation in October, found that sex-specific differences exist in the relationship between OSA and CV disease and that, in women, sleep apnea was associated with higher blood levels of troponin (hs-TnT), a marker that provides information on early evidence of heart injury.

"The finding that sleep apnea is associated with evidence of early heart injury and an elevation in long term risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, enlargement of the heart muscle, and death in women highlights the importance of sleep apnea screening and treatment for women, a group who often are not routinely screened for sleep apnea," said co-author Susan Redline, MD, MPH, associate clinical director, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at BWH.

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