title: Sleep apnea in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pilot studies have described the occurrence of sleep apnea in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, there are no data on the prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders in larger patient cohorts with PH.
  
  
  METHODS
  169 patients with a diagnosis of PH confirmed by right heart catheterisation and clinically stable in NYHA classes II or III were prospectively investigated by polygraphy (n = 105 females, mean age: 61.3 years, mean body mass index: 27.2 kg/m(2)). Recruitment was independent of sleep-related symptoms and the use of vasodilator drugs or nasal oxygen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  45 patients (i.e. 26.6%) had an apnea-hypopnea-index (AHI) >10/h. Of these, 27 patients (i.e. 16%) had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and 18 patients (i.e. 10.6%) had central sleep apnea (CSA). The mean AHI was 20/hour. As a polygraphy had been performed with nasal oxygen in half of the patients without evidence for sleep apnea, the frequency of CSA was probably underestimated. Patients with OSA were characterized by male gender and higher body mass index whereas, those with CSA were older and hypocapnic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At least every fourth patient with PH suffers from mild-to-moderate sleep apnea. Considering the anthropometric characteristics of the patients studied, the prevalence of both OSA and CSA seem to be higher in PH than in the general population.
authors: University of Giessen Lung Center, Germany.
authors: Rio
authors: R
authors: Dumitrascu
authors: Henning
authors: H
authors: Tiede
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Eckermann
authors: Konstantin
authors: K
authors: Mayer
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Reichenberger
authors: Hossein Ardeschir
authors: HA
authors: Ghofrani
authors: Werner
authors: W
authors: Seeger
authors: Jörg
authors: J
authors: Heitmann
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002196:Capillaries; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016857:Hypocapnia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*