Male patients who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease later in life, according to findings published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In an effort to determine how OSA affected heart health, researchers enrolled 1,927 men and 2,495 women with no record of cardiovascular problems into a study. Participants were then categorized by their sleeping habits, including severe apnea, which was linked to breathing interruptions longer than 10 seconds that occurred approximately 30 times per hour.
The results of the trial showed that men aged 40 to 70 years who had OSA had a much higher risk of suffering from coronary heart disease. However, the researchers found no connection between the sleeping disorder and heart problems in women.
Daniel J. Gottlieb, lead author of the study, stated that “the take-away from our study is that obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that warrants medical treatment.” He added that “its important for anyone who suspects they have obstructive sleep apnea to discuss it with their primary care physician.”
Coronary heart disease is the most common form of the illness, and in 2005, approximately 445,687 Americans died from the disease, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).