OSA has long been known to worsen heart disease. It increases your Cardiovascular (heart attack) and Cerebrovascular (stroke) risk. The constant drops in your oxygen levels known as desaturations, cortical arousals, and cardiovascular responses can have significant detrimental effects on your cardiac state, and predispose to heart disease.
We’ve known about this link for a long time, and we’ve advocated screening for OSA in all people with heart disease.
A recent multicentre observational study by Furlan et al (1) has confirmed the extremely high prevalence of OSA in those with known Coronary Artery Disease.
The study looked at over 1300 adults over the age of 18 from another multicentre study (Sleep and Stent Study), across multiple countries. These adults underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for known coronary artery disease – ie. atherosclerosis, blockages inside their coronary arteries, angina, and heart attacks.
OSA was found in 45% of individuals with Coronary Artery Disease!
Given this extremely high prevalence of OSA, we highly recommend you have an in-hospital Sleep Study if you have Coronary Artery Disease, including:
• Atherosclerosis
• A history of angina or heart attacks
• Coronary blockages needing ballon / stent insertion
• Coronary bypass surgery
Your heart health is important to us. Contact us now for an appointment.
1. Furlan et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015.
