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Severe obstructive sleep apnea elicits concentric left ventricular geometry

Giovanni Cioffi1, Tiziano Edoardo Russo, Carlo Stefenelli

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Villa Bianca Hospital, Trento, Italy. gcioffi@villabiancatrento.it

Journal of Hypertension
|April 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to a higher prevalence of concentric left ventricular (LV) geometry. This finding may help explain the increased cardiovascular event rates observed in patients with moderate/severe OSA.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) negatively impacts cardiac function, potentially leading to left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy.
  • The relationship between OSA severity and LV geometry remains unclear.
  • This study investigated the association between OSA and concentric LV geometry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity is associated with changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry.
  • To test the hypothesis that OSA is related to concentric LV geometry.

Main Methods:

  • 157 patients with suspected OSA underwent echocardiography and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and ECG monitoring.
  • Patients were categorized into controls, mild OSA, and moderate/severe OSA based on apnea-hypopnea index.
  • Concentric LV geometry was defined by relative wall thickness ≥ 0.43.

Main Results:

  • Moderate/severe OSA patients (n=86) had higher BMI and atrial fibrillation prevalence than mild OSA (n=51) and controls (n=20).
  • Relative wall thickness positively correlated with apnea-hypopnea index (r=0.30, P=0.003).
  • Concentric LV geometry was found in 58% of moderate/severe OSA patients, versus 12% in mild OSA and 20% in controls (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Moderate/severe OSA is significantly associated with a high prevalence of concentric LV geometry.
  • This geometric change may contribute to the elevated cardiovascular event rates in patients with moderate/severe OSA.
Abstract

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