title: Association between obstructive sleep apnea and elevated levels of type B natriuretic peptide in a community-based sample of women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One contributory factor may be hemodynamic stress due to the negative intrathoracic pressure during each episode of apnea. Type B natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted by the cardiac ventricles in response to volume expansion and pressure load and the authors hypothesized that there would be an association between indices of OSA during the night and levels of BNP in the morning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based in Uppsala, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 349 women who participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants underwent full-night polysomnography and anthropometric measurements, and answered questionnaires about medical conditions and current medication. The morning after the polysomnography, blood samples were drawn for analysis of plasma BNP, C-reactive protein, creatinine, and hemoglobin. There was an increase in mean BNP as the severity of sleep apnea increased, increasing from a mean value of 8.5 ng/L among women with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) < 5 to 18.0 ng/L in women with an AHI ≥ 30. Elevated BNP levels (≥ 20 ng/L) were found in 29.8% of the women, whereas 70.2% had normal levels. The odds ratio was 2.2 for elevated BNP levels for women with an AHI of 5-14.9 in relation to women with an AHI < 5, 3.1 for women with an AHI of 15-29.9, and 4.6 for women with an AHI ≥ 30 after adjustment for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs, and creatinine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a dose-response relationship in women between the severity of sleep apnea during the night and the levels of BNP in the morning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ljunggren
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Theorell-Haglöw
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
keywords: Community-based; epidemiology; heart failure; polysomnography; sleep apnea