Snoring, sympathetic activity and cardiovascular risk factors in a 70 year old population

In order to describe the relation between snoring, cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic factors and sympathetitic activity, 804 70-year-old males and females were classified according to snoring habits and life-style factors (alcohol and tobacco consumption), blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), plasma lipids (triglycerides, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein), plasma catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine), fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance test (1 gram glucose per kg body weight given and blood glucose was measured 1 and 2 hours thereafter) were evaluated in all participants. Self-reported snoring was associated with gender (males showed higher prevalence than females, p < 0.05), alcohol consumption (p < 0.01), BMI (p < 0.001), systolic (p < 0.01) and diastolic (p < 0.05) blood pressure, glucose tolerance test (p < 0.01), plasma norepinephrine (p < 0.05) and partly with tobacco consumption (p = 0.08). No associations were found between snoring and fasting glucose, plasma lipids, plasma epinephrine or in the use of antihypertensive medication. In multivariate analysis, with forced entry of gender, BMI, physical activity, alcohol and tobacco consumption, the relation between snoring and blood pressure ceased; only systolic blood pressure was associated with snoring (p < 0.05). Snoring was still associated with plasma norepinephrine (p < 0.001) and abnormal glucose tolerance (p < 0.001). We conclude that, in a 70-year-old population, snoring is associated with gender, BMI and alcohol consumption. Snores showed higher plasma norepinephrine and abnormal glucose tolerance.