Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in a patient population undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
: The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed or untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.


METHODS
: A total of 132 consecutive patients were screened by Berlin Questionnaire to determine the presence or absence of OSA.


RESULTS
: Fourteen patients did not consent to participate. Of the remaining 118 patients, 20 (17%) were found to have a preexisting formal diagnosis of OSA. Of the remaining 98 patients (69 males and 29 females), 43 (44%) were found to have a high probability of OSA as predicted by the Berlin Questionnaire. There was no significant difference in the prevalence (P < .05) between males (29/69, 42%) and females (14/29, 48%) who were predicted to have OSA. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in the ages or body mass index between OSA and non-OSA patients. A significantly greater frequency (P < .05) of coronary artery disease was observed in the OSA group than in the non-OSA group.


CONCLUSIONS
: Overall, the rate of preexisting and predicted OSA (53%) suggests a high prevalence of OSA in patients with cardiovascular diseases in a cardiac rehabilitation setting. Moreover, the high rate of undiagnosed OSA, as suggested by the Berlin Questionnaire, further adds to the growing literature that a large number of patients with significant cardiovascular disease carry the burden of sleep disordered breathing.
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina 27834, USA. sharmas@ecu.edu
Sunil
S
Sharma
Adrian T
AT
Parker
D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents