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Interactions between sleep disordered breathing and atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Tomas Konecny1, Peter A Brady, Marek Orban

  • 1Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|May 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) have a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF). SDB severity correlates with AF prevalence and left atrial volume in HC patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) is linked to a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), increasing morbidity and mortality.
  • Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a known risk factor for AF in the general population.
  • The relationship between SDB and AF in patients with HC remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of AF in patients with HC, comparing those with and without SDB.
  • To determine if SDB is associated with a higher incidence of AF in the HC population.
  • To explore the correlation between SDB severity and AF prevalence in HC patients.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective overnight oximetry was conducted on 91 consecutive patients diagnosed with HC.
  • The presence of AF was correlated with oximetric findings indicative of SDB.
  • Multivariate analysis was used to account for potential confounding factors.

Main Results:

  • SDB was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of AF (40% vs. 11%, p = 0.005).
  • Patients with SDB exhibited increased left atrial volume index (58 ± 19 ml/m² vs. 42 ± 13 ml/m², p = 0.0002).
  • Increasing SDB severity correlated with higher AF prevalence and left atrial volume.

Conclusions:

  • SDB is associated with a higher prevalence of AF in patients with HC.
  • The presence and severity of SDB may impact left atrial volume and AF prevalence in HC.
  • SDB represents a potentially modifiable factor contributing to morbidity and mortality in HC patients.

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