Type D personality traits independently predicted poor functional status and worse patient-centered outcomes independently from LVEF and depression. Further studies exploring personality-related differences in cardiovascular outcomes are needed.
Mental distress and somatic/affective symptoms of depression are strongly associated with EC both at the beginning and after EBCR. Analysis of possible mediating or moderating factors was beyond the scope of our study. Future studies should focus on comprehensive evaluation of EC risk factors including other mental distress characteristics, subjectively experienced fatigue, and post-operative CAD symptoms.
BackgroundThere is still insufficient knowledge on the potential effect of mild to moderate sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) that is widely prevalent, often asymptomatic, and largely undiagnosed in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). SDB affects 34% of men and 17% of women aged between 30 and 70. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between SDB and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy as well as structural remodeling in stable CAD patients.MethodsThe study was based on a cross-sectional design. Echocardiography and polysomnography was performed in 772 patients with CAD and with untreated sleep apnea. All study participants underwent testing by Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire. Their mean age, NYHA and left ventricular ejection fraction were, respectively: 57 ± 9 years, 2.1 ± 0.5 and 51 ± 8%, and 76% were men. Sleep apnea (SA) was defined as an apnea-hypopnea-index (AHI) ≥5 events/h, and, non-SA, as an AHI <5.ResultsSleep apnea was present in 39% of patients, and a large fraction of those patients had no complaints on excessive daytime sleepiness. The patients with SA were older, with higher body mass and higher prevalence of hypertension. LV hypertrophy (LVH), defined by allometrically corrected (LV mass/height2.7) gender-independent criteria, was more common among the patients with SA than those without (86% vs. 74%, p < 0.001). The frequency of LVH by wall thickness criteria (interventricular septal thickness or posterior wall thickness ≥ 12 mm: 49% vs. 33%, p < 0.001) and concentric LVH (61% vs. 47%, p = 0.001) was higher in CAD patients with SA. The patients with SA had significantly higher values of both interventricular septal thickness and posterior wall thickness. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that even mild sleep apnea was an independent predictor for LVH by wall thickness criteria and concentric LVH (OR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.04–2.2 and OR = 1.9; 1.3–2.9 respectively).ConclusionsWe concluded that unrecognized sleep apnea was highly prevalent among patients with stable CAD, and the majority of those patients did not report daytime sleepiness. Mild to moderate sleep apnea was associated with increased LV wall thickness, LV mass, and with higher prevalence of concentric LV hypertrophy independently of coexisting obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus or advancing age.
Background: Focusing on detection of sleep apnoea early in the cardiac rehabilitation process may improve the recovery process and reduce recurrence of cardiovascular events. Patients who continue to be undiagnosed may experience a significantly worse outcome during their cardiac rehabilitation and recovery. Diastolic dysfunction has both diagnostic and prognostic importance in the management of coronary artery disease. We hypothesise that undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnoea in middle-aged coronary artery disease patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction changes the pattern of diastolic filling close to that in elderly patients without sleep apnoea. Methods and results: This cross-sectional study included the 450 coronary artery disease patients with undiagnosed sleep apnoea who had left ventricular ejection fraction ⩾50% and were referred consecutively to the Clinic of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation within two weeks after treatment for acute coronary syndrome. Polysomnographic and echocardiographic measurements were analysed. Mild to severe sleep apnoea was defined as the apnoea-hypopnea index ⩾5. Age was dichotomised into under the age of 60 years and age 60 years or over. Up to 35% of coronary artery disease patients were likely to have undiagnosed sleep apnoea. There was a statistically significant interaction between the effect of sleep apnoea and age group on diastolic function defined as the ratio peak flow velocity in early diastole/peak flow velocity in atrial contraction ratio ( p=0.036). This ratio was significantly ( p=0.029) lower in the mild-severe sleep apnoea group (0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.88–1.06) than in the non-sleep apnoea group (1.09, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.15) among middle aged (<60 years) coronary artery disease patients. Therefore, filling patterns in the middle aged (<60 years) patients with sleep apnoea resemble those observed in the elderly (⩾60 years) patients without sleep apnoea. The effect of sleep apnoea on left ventricular filling pattern in elderly was not observed. Conclusions: Age modifies the effect of sleep apnoea on cardiovascular outcomes. The findings that undiagnosed sleep apnoea impairs diastolic function in a middle-aged coronary artery disease patient underscore the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnoea. It is recommended to train and educate cardiac rehabilitation staff on the importance of sleep disorders in this population.
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