Abstract
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may trigger thromboembolic events by enhancing intravascular clot formation. The primary objective of the present nested case-control study was to investigate whether the prevalence of SDB is increased in patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or acute pulmonary embolism (PE).
Eighty-two consecutive patients with DVT and/or PE (cases) were prospectively enrolled irrespective of SDB-related symptoms and formed matched pairs with patients without DVT and/or PE (controls) according to gender and pre-defined categories of age and body mass index.
The prevalence of SDB (respiratory disturbance index assessed by polygraphy, RDI≥15·h−1) was significantly greater in the cases with DVT and/or PE than in controls (40 versus 26%, p=0.046) and was predominantly obstructive in nature. Multiple regression analysis revealed that SDB was significantly associated with DVT and/or PE (Odds ratio [95% CI]: 2.28 [1.08–4.85], p=0.032) independent of established risk factors for thrombosis. In the gender-specific analyses this association was significant in females (Odds ratio [95% CI]: 4.14 [1.05–16.36], p=0.042), but not in men (Odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.55 [0.57–4.21], p=0.391).
SDB occurs more frequently in females with DVT and/or PE than in controls matched for anthropometric variables and is independently associated with the occurrence of these thromboembolic events.
- ERS