• Mirjam Ljunggren, Eva Lindberg, Karl A Franklin, Patrik Öhagen, Marita Larsson, Jenny Theorell-Haglöw, and Tord Naessén.
• Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
• Sleep. 2018 Jul 1; 41 (7).

Study ObjectivesAlthough obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with overall cardiovascular disease and mortality, the association with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is less clear, especially in women. Recently, it has been suggested that OSA during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, associated with long apneas and deep desaturations, could have severe cardiometabolic consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate whether OSA during REM sleep is associated with early signs of atherosclerosis in a population-based sample of women.MethodsIn the community-based "Sleep and Health in Women" (SHE) cohort study, 400 women underwent polysomnography, anthropometric measurements, blood sampling, blood pressure measurement, and answered questionnaires. Ten years later, 201 of the original participants, free of known atherosclerotic disease at baseline and without continuous positive airway pressure treatment for OSA, underwent a high-frequency ultrasound of the common carotid artery to assess the individual thickness of the layers of the artery wall.ResultsSevere OSA during REM sleep (REM apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 30) was associated with a thicker intima. This association was still significant after adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol, and smoking, as well as for further adjustment for systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, C-reactive protein, and diabetes (β-coefficient, 0.008; p-value, 0.022). The association between a REM AHI of ≥30 and intima thickness was also seen in women with no or mild OSA and normal non-REM AHI.ConclusionsIn this study of a community-based sample of women, severe OSA during REM sleep was independently associated with early signs of atherosclerosis.

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