Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in obstructive sleep apnea

Objective

Recent data suggest that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is significantly associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of AF in a large cohort of OSA patients and to compare the characteristics of patients with vs. without AF.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed electrocardiographic data from 587 patients who had been admitted to our sleep laboratory for suspected sleep apnea. In all patients, anthropometric parameters, medical history with special reference to cardiovascular and metabolic co-morbidities and polysomnographic data were evaluated. Patients without sleep apnea and those with other types of sleep-disordered breathing were excluded from further analysis.

Results

A total of 427 patients (i.e., 72.7%) were found to suffer from OSA. Of these patients, 38 (i.e., 8.9%) were identified as having AF; the other 389 patients were in sinus rhythm. OSA patients with AF were significantly older than those without AF, whereas BMI and gender distribution were similar. Compared to patients in sinus rhythm, the AF group had a higher percentage of patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus. The severity of OSA did not significantly differ between patients with vs. without AF.

Conclusions

The prevalence of AF in OSA is considerably higher than in the general population. Our data suggest that the risk of AF is particularly increased in elderly OSA patients suffering from concomitant cardiovascular and metabolic disease.