Association of nocturnal arrhythmias with sleep-disordered breathing: The Sleep Heart Health Study

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006 Apr 15;173(8):910-6. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200509-1442OC. Epub 2006 Jan 19.

Abstract

Rationale: Sleep-disordered breathing recurrent intermittent hypoxia and sympathetic nervous system activity surges provide the milieu for cardiac arrhythmia development.

Objective: We postulate that the prevalence of nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias is higher among subjects with than without sleep-disordered breathing.

Methods: The prevalence of arrhythmias was compared in two samples of participants from the Sleep Heart Health Study frequency-matched on age, sex, race/ethnicity, and body mass index: (1) 228 subjects with sleep-disordered breathing (respiratory disturbance index>or=30) and (2) 338 subjects without sleep-disordered breathing (respiratory disturbance index<5).

Results: Atrial fibrillation, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and complex ventricular ectopy (nonsustained ventricular tachycardia or bigeminy or trigeminy or quadrigeminy) were more common in subjects with sleep-disordered breathing compared with those without sleep-disordered breathing: 4.8 versus 0.9% (p=0.003) for atrial fibrillation; 5.3 versus 1.2% (p=0.004) for nonsustained ventricular tachycardia; 25.0 versus 14.5% (p=0.002) for complex ventricular ectopy. Compared with those without sleep-disordered breathing and adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and prevalent coronary heart disease, individuals with sleep-disordered breathing had four times the odds of atrial fibrillation (odds ratio [OR], 4.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-15.74), three times the odds of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.03-11.20), and almost twice the odds of complex ventricular ectopy (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.11-2.74). A significant relation was also observed between sleep-disordered breathing and ventricular ectopic beats/h (p<0.0003) considered as a continuous outcome.

Conclusions: Individuals with severe sleep-disordered breathing have two- to fourfold higher odds of complex arrhythmias than those without sleep-disordered breathing even after adjustment for potential confounders.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / epidemiology
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / etiology*
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
  • Circadian Rhythm / physiology*
  • Electrocardiography
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Polysomnography
  • Prevalence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sleep / physiology*
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / complications*
  • Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / physiopathology