Relationship Between Sodium Intake and Sleep Apnea in Patients With Heart Failure

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2011-11, Vol.58 (19), p.1970-1974
• Main Authors: Kasai, Takatoshi, MD, PhD, Arcand, JoAnne, MSc, RD, Allard, Johane P., MD, Mak, Susanna, MD, PhD, Azevedo, Eduardo R., MD, Newton, Gary E., MD, Bradley, T. Douglas, MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; Cardiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular disease; Confidence intervals; Creatinine - blood; diet; Enzymes; Female; fluid; food record; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Failure - complications; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Multivariate analysis; Pneumology; Polysomnography; Potassium; renal dysfunction; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; Retention; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - etiology; Sleep disorders; Sodium; Sodium, Dietary - adverse effects; Studies; Variables; volume overload
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2011.08.012

Objectives The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that severity of sleep apnea (SA), assessed by frequency of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]), is related to sodium intake in patients with heart failure (HF). Background Dependent edema and overnight rostral fluid shift from the legs correlate with the AHI in patients with HF in whom excessive sodium intake can cause fluid retention. Methods Sodium intake was estimated by food recordings in 54 HF patients who underwent overnight polysomnography. Results Thirty-one of the 54 patients had SA, and their mean sodium intake was higher than that in those without SA (3.0 ± 1.2 g vs. 1.9 ± 0.8 g, p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the AHI and sodium intake (r = 0.522, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the significant independent correlates of the AHI were sodium intake, male sex, and serum creatinine level. Conclusions These findings suggest that in patients with HF, sodium intake plays a role in the pathogenesis of SA.