Obstructive sleep apnea and its association with coronary artery calcium volume in asymptomatic male subjects

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 21620 - 6
• Main Authors: Seo, Min Young, Lee, Seung Hoon, Kim, Hyo Yeol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.12.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/4019; Apnea; Arteriosclerosis; Calcification (ectopic); Calcium; Computed tomography; Coronary artery; Coronary vessels; Humanities and Social Sciences; Medical records; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sleep apnea; Sleep disorders; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47666-9

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between various parameters related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and coronary artery calcium (CAC) volume. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 315 male subjects who underwent standard polysomnography (PSG) and coronary artery computed tomography. In this study, we found that only the apnea index (AI) and minimal oxygen saturation (minimal SaO 2 ) were independently associated with CAC volume after adjustment for confounders; for a 1/h increase in the AI, the CAC volume increased by 1.311 mm 3 , and for a 1% increase in the minimal SaO 2 , the CAC volume decreased by 2.187 mm 3 . We also found that the CAC volume was significantly different between the habitual snorer and the severe OSA group (21.27 ± 40.79 vs 71.33 ± 175.00, p  = 0.042). Moreover, the CAC volume was significantly different between the first and fourth quartile groups of the AI (32.42 ± 59.54% vs. 78.74 ± 198.50, p  = 0.048), but not among groups according to the hypopnea index quartile. Therefore, we concluded that among various OSA-related PSG parameters, the AI and minimal SaO 2 was independently associated with the CAC volume and significantly related to upcoming cardiovascular events in middle-aged men.