Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Prevalent Albuminuria in Hispanics/Latinos

Although sleep-disordered breathing has been found to be associated with higher urine albumin excretion, this association has not been evaluated in Hispanic/Latino populations, which experience a high burden of end-stage renal disease compared with non-Hispanics. We evaluated the association of sleep-disordered breathing with prevalent albuminuria among US Hispanics/Latinos.

This was a cross-sectional study of baseline data from participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a population-based study that enrolled 16,415 adults in 4 US communities. Sleep-disordered breathing was assessed using a home sleep apnea monitor for overnight recording and was defined using 3 thresholds of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI; 3% desaturation): ≥5, ≥15, and ≥30. Albuminuria was defined as a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of ≥30 mg/g.

There were 12,572 participants with complete data available for analysis. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of albuminuria was 9.1%. Mean age was 41 years, and 48% were men. Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing was higher among individuals with albuminuria compared with those without albuminuria (36% vs. 25% had AHI ≥5, 18% vs. 9% had AHI ≥15, and 9% vs. 4% had AHI ≥30). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, AHIs ≥5, ≥15, and ≥30 were associated with greater odds of albuminuria compared with those with AHIs <5, <15, and <30 (odds ratio [OR] 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-1.76; OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.33-2.20; and OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.34-2.79), respectively. This association varied by Hispanic/Latino background group.

In US Hispanic/Latinos, sleep-disordered breathing was independently associated with higher odds of prevalent albuminuria.