ASSOCIATION OF SLEEP-APNEA WITH MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION IN MEN

To examine the hypothesis that sleep apnoea is a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease, overnight polysomnography was performed in 101 unselected male survivors of acute myocardial infarction (MI) aged < 66 yr and in 53 male subjects of similar age without evidence of ischaemic heart disease. The apnoea index (Al, number of apnoea episodes per hour of sleep) was 6·9 (SEM 1·2) in the Ml patients versus 1·4 (0·3) in the control subjects. After adjustment for age, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, and cholesterol level, multiple logistic regression analysis identified the top quartile of Al (>5·3) as an independent predictor of MI patients. The relative risk for myocardial infarction between the highest and lowest quartiles of Al was 23·3 (95% confidence interval 3·9-139·9). © 1990.