SAN FRANCISCO, May 22 (UPI) -- Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of heart attack or death by 30 percent over a period of four to five years, says a U.S. study.
The more severe the sleep apnea at the beginning of the study, the greater the risk of developing heart disease or dying, according to the findings presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco.
The study included 1,123 patients referred for sleep-apnea evaluation who underwent an overnight sleep study to determine if they had sleep apnea. Over the next four to five years they were tracked to see how many had any heart-disease events -- heart attack, coronary angiography or bypass surgery -- or died.
"While previous studies have shown an association between sleep apnea and heart disease, ours is a large study that allowed us to not only follow patients for five years and look at the association between sleep apnea and the combined outcome of heart attack and death, but also adjust for other traditional risk factors for heart disease," Dr. Neomi Shah of Yale University said in a statement.
"We recommend that patients who experience symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea -- excessive daytime sleepiness, or snoring along with breathing pauses -- consult their physician."
