Sleep disturbance in women before myocardial infarction

The study objective was to describe the prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbances among women who retrospectively reported sleep disturbance before their myocardial infarction (MI). MI is frequently unrecognized in women because they may have only vague symptoms, such as sleep disturbance. Describing correlates of sleep disturbance before MI may assist in recognizing women at risk for coronary heart disease.

A secondary analysis was performed of a dataset derived from 15 sites.

Of 1270 women experiencing initial MI, 632 reported new onset of or worsening sleep disturbance before MI. Prevalence was similar across racial groups. Women reporting prodromal sleep disturbance were more likely to be older, to be heavier, and to report cognitive changes (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.47), new or increasing anxiety (adjusted OR, 2.21), and unusual fatigue (adjusted OR, 2.16).

Subjective reports of sleep disturbance preceding MI seem to be prevalent in women of all races and may be an important warning sign for MI in women.