Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in persons with and without obstructive sleep apnea

We investigated the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in persons with and without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Fifty-three persons had a nocturnal polysomnogram to diagnose OSA and 2-dimensional echocardiograms to measure left ventricular mass. OSA was considered mild if the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was 5 to 15, moderate if the RDI was 15 to 30, and severe if the RDI was >30. LVH was diagnosed if the left ventricular mass index was >110 g/m in women and >134 g/m in men. LVH was present in 21 of 27 persons (78%) with moderate or severe OSA, in 6 of 13 persons (46%) with mild OSA, and in 3 of 13 persons (23%) with no OSA (P < 0.001 comparing moderate or severe OSA with no OSA and P < 0.05 comparing moderate or severe OSA with mild OSA). OSA was a significant independent predictor of LVH after controlling the confounding effects of hypertension with an odds ratio of 3.579 (95% confidence interval, 1.589-8.058).