A high prevalence of sleep disordered breathing in men with mild symptomatic chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction

• Published in: European journal of heart failure 2007-03, Vol.9 (3), p.243-250
• Main Authors: Vazir, A., Hastings, P.C., Dayer, M., McIntyre, H.F., Henein, M.Y., Poole-Wilson, P.A., Cowie, M.R., Morrell, M.J., Simonds, A.K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; central sleep apnoea; chronic heart failure; Cohort Studies; Exercise Test; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; obstructive sleep apnoea; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Sleep Apnea, Central - epidemiology; Sleep Apnea, Central - physiopathology; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - epidemiology; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - physiopathology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Ultrasonography; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - complications; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1388-9842; 1879-0844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejheart.2006.08.001

Background: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in severe chronic heart failure (CHF) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of SDB in mild symptomatic CHF is unknown. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of SDB in male patients with NYHA class II symptoms of CHF. Methods and results: 55 male patients with mild symptomatic CHF underwent assessment of quality of life, echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise, chemoreflex testing and polysomnography. 53% of the patients had SDB. 38% had central sleep apnoea (CSA) and 15% had obstructive sleep apnoea. SDB patients had steeper VE/VCO2 slope [median (inter-quartile range) 31.1 (28-37) vs. 28.1 (27-30) respectively; p=0.04], enhanced chemoreflexes to carbon dioxide during wakefulness [mean±sd: 2.4±1.6 vs. 1.5±0.7%VE Max/mmHg CO2 respectively; p=0.03], and significantly higher levels of brain natriuretic peptide and endothelin-1 compared to patients without SDB. No differences in left ventricular ejection fraction, percent predicted peak oxygen uptake, or symptoms of SDB were observed. Conclusions: A high prevalence of SDB was found in men with mild symptomatic CHF. Patients with SDB could not be differentiated by symptoms or by routine cardiac assessment making clinical diagnosis of SDB in CHF difficult.