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High frequency of coronary artery ectasia in obstructive sleep apnea

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Abstract

Study Objectives:

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): have a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease. However, the frequency of specific coronary artery vascular phenotypes, such as coronary artery ectasia (CAE):, which has a frequency of 5% in the general population, has not been studied in patients with OSA. This study aimed to estimate CAE frequency in patients with OSA who underwent coronary angiography.

Methods:

A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. The results of each polysomnography were reviewed, classifying OSA severity according to the apnea-hypopnea index. Each coronary angiography was reviewed. CAE was defined and classified according to the scales described in the literature. Two groups of patients were classified and compared (OSA/CAE group vs OSA/non-CAE group):.

Results:

We identified the frequency of CAE in 185 patients with OSA who underwent coronary angiography. The frequency of CAE was 18.4% in these patients. ST-elevation myocardial infarction as the indication for coronary angiography was significantly greater in the OSA/CAE group than the OSA/non-CAE group (26.5% vs 9.9%; P = .02):; 62% of the patients having severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 30 events/h):. These patients in the OSA/CAE group had a significantly higher median apnea-hypopnea index than in the OSA/non-CAE group (72.5 events/h vs 53.5 events/h, respectively; P = .039):. The CAE severity was not directly related to the OSA severity.

Conclusions:

The frequency of CAE in patients with OSA is higher than that reported for the general population. The severity of OSA is related to the presence of CAE but not to its severity.

Citation:

del Portillo JH, Hernandez BM, Bazurto MA, Echeverri D, Cabrales J. High frequency of coronary artery ectasia in obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(2)::433–438.

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Abbreviations

AHI:

apnea-hypopnea index

CAE:

coronary artery ectasia

ODI:

oxygen desaturation index

OSA:

obstructive sleep apnea

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Karen Moreno-Medina (from Research Department, Fundación Cardioinfantil): and Dr. Oscar Perez for their valuable help in data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interventional Cardiology, Fundación Cardioinfantil–Instituto de Cardiología, Bogota, Colombia

    Juan Hernando del Portillo MD, Boris Miguel Hernandez MD, Dario Echeverri MD & Jaime Cabrales MD

  2. Medical School, Universidad el Bosque, Bogota, Colombia

    Juan Hernando del Portillo MD, Boris Miguel Hernandez MD, Dario Echeverri MD & Jaime Cabrales MD

  3. Sleep Lab, Fundación Neumológica Colombiana, Bogota, Colombia

    María Angélica Bazurto MD

  4. School of Medicine, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia

    Dario Echeverri MD & Jaime Cabrales MD

Authors
  1. Juan Hernando del Portillo MD
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  2. Boris Miguel Hernandez MD
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  3. María Angélica Bazurto MD
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  4. Dario Echeverri MD
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  5. Jaime Cabrales MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juan Hernando del Portillo MD.

Additional information

Address correspondence to: Juan Hernando del Portillo, MD, Calle 163A # 13B, 60 Bogotá, Colombia; Email: drdelportillo@gmail.com and jdelportillo@cardioinfantil.org

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Hernando del Portillo, J., Hernandez, B., Bazurto, M. et al. High frequency of coronary artery ectasia in obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med 18, 433–438 (2022). https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9598

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9598

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