Sleep apnea linked heartbeat irregularities

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People with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome—in which airways become blocked periodically during sleep and breathing stops for brief periods—experience a relatively high number episodes of irregular heart rhythm, Spanish investigators report.

The findings are based on a study of 21 patients with sleep apnea syndrome, 12 snorers, and 15 healthy comparison subjects who were evaluated with sleep studies and 24-hour monitoring of their heart rhythm.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome seemed to increase the frequency of both daytime and nighttime heartbeat irregularities, Dr. Alberto Alonso-Fernandez, from Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, and colleagues report in the medical journal Chest.

Compared with the other two groups, the sleep apnea patients also experienced more nighttime episodes when their heart showed signs that it was not getting enough oxygen.

In sleep apnea patients, the lowest levels of oxygen in the blood were linked to the rhythm disturbances, the researchers point out.

The results show that these heart problems may affect people with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, but not people who just snore, the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Chest, January 2005.

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