Chronic lung disease plus sleep apnea linked to higher heart risk
People with both conditions had a higher relative rate of cardiovascular death than those with sleep apnea alone (adjusted hazard ratio 1.72).
365,667 participants
Limit: Unrecorded COPD flare-ups and hospitalizations could independently raise cardiovascular risk
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational matched cohort study examined health records from people in England aged 35 or older with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea or both. These conditions restrict airflow and repeatedly interrupt breathing during sleep, respectively. The initial groups included 365,667, 59,526 and 11,040 people, respectively, with average ages of 68, 57 and 65. Median follow-up was 5.8, 6.0 and 5.0 years, respectively.
Death from heart or blood vessel disease was more likely with both conditions than with sleep apnea alone, but did not differ significantly from lung disease alone. After accounting for age, smoking and other risk factors, having both conditions was also linked to higher relative risks of heart failure: 69% versus lung disease alone and 101% versus sleep apnea alone.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is an age-related health concern. The study raises the question of whether earlier, targeted cardiovascular care could reduce later complications in people with both conditions.
Caveats
This observational study could not show that having both conditions caused the higher risks or that targeted treatment would reduce them. It relied on recorded diagnoses and covered only people aged 35 or older in England.
From the paper
- Participants
The initial study cohort consisted of 365 667 people with COPD (mean±sd) age 68±11 years, 59 526 with OSA age 57±11 years and 11 040 with COPD–OSA age 65±10 years.
Quoted word for word from the full text on publications.ersnet.org.
