@article {686, title = {Predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in community-dwelling adults: the Sleep Heart Health Study.}, journal = {Arch Intern Med}, volume = {162}, year = {2002}, month = {2002 Apr 22}, pages = {893-900}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common, but largely undiagnosed in the general population. Information on demographic patterns of SDB occurrence and its predictive factors in the general population is needed to target high-risk groups that may benefit from diagnosis.

METHODS: The sample comprised 5615 community-dwelling men and women aged between 40 and 98 years who were enrolled in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Data were collected by questionnaire, clinical examinations, and in-home polysomnography. Sleep-disordered breathing status was based on the average number of apnea and hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]). We used multiple logistic regression modeling to estimate cross-sectional associations of selected participant characteristics with SDB defined by an AHI of 15 or greater.

RESULTS: Male sex, age, body mass index, neck girth, snoring, and repeated breathing pause frequency were independent, significant correlates of an AHI of 15 or greater. People reporting habitual snoring, loud snoring, and frequent breathing pauses were 3 to 4 times more likely to have an AHI of 15 or greater vs an AHI less than 15, but there were weaker associations for other factors with an AHI of 15 or greater. The odds ratios (95\% confidence interval) for an AHI of 15 or greater vs an AHI less than 15 were 1.6 and 1.5, respectively, for 1-SD increments in body mass index and neck girth. As age increased, the magnitude of associations for SDB and body habitus, snoring, and breathing pauses decreased.

CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of occult SDB in the general population would be missed if screening or case finding were based solely on increased body habitus or male sex. Breathing pauses and obesity may be particularly insensitive for identifying SDB in older people. A better understanding of predictive factors for SDB, particularly in older adults, is needed.

}, keywords = {Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cohort Studies, Continental Population Groups, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Predictive Value of Tests, Residence Characteristics, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Snoring}, issn = {0003-9926}, doi = {10.1001/archinte.162.8.893}, author = {Young, Terry and Shahar, Eyal and Nieto, F Javier and Redline, Susan and Newman, Anne B and Gottlieb, Daniel J and Walsleben, Joyce A and Finn, Laurel and Enright, Paul and Samet, Jonathan M} } @article {728, title = {Variation in symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing with race and ethnicity: the Sleep Heart Health Study.}, journal = {Sleep}, volume = {26}, year = {2003}, month = {2003 Feb 01}, pages = {74-9}, abstract = {

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine the relation of sleep-related symptoms to race and ethnicity in a diverse sample of middle-aged and older men and women.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey.

SETTING: In the initial phase of the Sleep Heart Health Study, men and women enrolled in participating epidemiologic cohort studies were surveyed.

PARTICIPANTS: 13,194 men and women 40 years of age and older, including 11,517 non-Hispanic white, 648 black, 643 American Indian, 296 Hispanic, and 90 Asian-Pacific Islander.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: After adjustment for BMI and other factors, frequent snoring was more common among Hispanic women (odds ratio (OR) = 2.25, 95\% confidence interval (CI) = 1.48, 3.42) and black women (OR = 1.55, 95\% Ci = 1.13, 2.13) than among non-Hispanic white women. Hispanic men were significantly more likely to report frequent snoring than non-Hispanic white men (OR = 2.30, 95\% CI = 1.43, 3.69). Black, American Indian, and Asian men did not differ significantly from white men in snoring prevalence. American Indian women were significantly more likely to report breathing pauses during sleep than their white, non-Hispanic counterparts (OR = 1.52, 95\% CI 1.03, 2.24), although polysomnography data on a subset of the sample suggested that the association between this symptom reported on questionnaire and objective evidence of sleep-disordered breathing may be weaker among American Indians than among other groups. Mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were slightly higher in black men and women than in their white, non-hispanic counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent snoring was more common among black and Hispanic women and Hispanic men than among their white non-Hispanic counterparts, even after adjusting for BMI and other factors. Further research including polysomnography and objective measurements of sleepiness is needed to assess the physiologic and clinical significance of these findings.

}, keywords = {Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Electroencephalography, Electrooculography, Ethnic Groups, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Polysomnography, Severity of Illness Index, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Snoring, Surveys and Questionnaires}, issn = {0161-8105}, author = {O{\textquoteright}Connor, George T and Lind, Bonnie K and Lee, Elisa T and Nieto, F Javier and Redline, Susan and Samet, Jonathan M and Boland, Lori L and Walsleben, Joyce A and Foster, Gregory L} } @article {1122, title = {Sleep-disordered breathing and mortality: a prospective cohort study.}, journal = {PLoS Med}, volume = {6}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 Aug}, pages = {e1000132}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing is a common condition associated with adverse health outcomes including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The overall objective of this study was to determine whether sleep-disordered breathing and its sequelae of intermittent hypoxemia and recurrent arousals are associated with mortality in a community sample of adults aged 40 years or older.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We prospectively examined whether sleep-disordered breathing was associated with an increased risk of death from any cause in 6,441 men and women participating in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Sleep-disordered breathing was assessed with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) based on an in-home polysomnogram. Survival analysis and proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios for mortality after adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking status, body mass index, and prevalent medical conditions. The average follow-up period for the cohort was 8.2 y during which 1,047 participants (587 men and 460 women) died. Compared to those without sleep-disordered breathing (AHI: <5 events/h), the fully adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality in those with mild (AHI: 5.0-14.9 events/h), moderate (AHI: 15.0-29.9 events/h), and severe (AHI: >or=30.0 events/h) sleep-disordered breathing were 0.93 (95\% CI: 0.80-1.08), 1.17 (95\% CI: 0.97-1.42), and 1.46 (95\% CI: 1.14-1.86), respectively. Stratified analyses by sex and age showed that the increased risk of death associated with severe sleep-disordered breathing was statistically significant in men aged 40-70 y (hazard ratio: 2.09; 95\% CI: 1.31-3.33). Measures of sleep-related intermittent hypoxemia, but not sleep fragmentation, were independently associated with all-cause mortality. Coronary artery disease-related mortality associated with sleep-disordered breathing showed a pattern of association similar to all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with all-cause mortality and specifically that due to coronary artery disease, particularly in men aged 40-70 y with severe sleep-disordered breathing. Please see later in the article for the Editors{\textquoteright} Summary.

}, keywords = {Aged, Coronary Artery Disease, Female, Humans, Hypoxia, Male, Middle Aged, Odds Ratio, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Survival Analysis}, issn = {1549-1676}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pmed.1000132}, author = {Punjabi, Naresh M and Caffo, Brian S and Goodwin, James L and Gottlieb, Daniel J and Newman, Anne B and O{\textquoteright}Connor, George T and Rapoport, David M and Redline, Susan and Resnick, Helaine E and Robbins, John A and Shahar, Eyal and Unruh, Mark L and Samet, Jonathan M} }