Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 1998;52(2):219- 20.
MAEKAWA M, SHIOMI T, USUI & SASANABE R, KOBAYASHI T.
The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Japan
We investigated the prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and the presence of coronary risk factors involved in the onset of IHD in 386 subjects with suspected SAS due to heavy snoring. The prevalence of IHD among patients with untreated SAS was found to be 23.8%, and the percentage of patients having SAS complicated with IHD was high among those with moderate or severe SAS. Sleep apnea syndrome patients with IHD also showed high prevalences of hypertension and hyperlipideniia. It appears that sleep apnea aggravates the factors that cause coronary vascular disorders, and is involved in the onset of IHD.
