Chennai: Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can lead to cardiac disorders in women, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The study revealed that OSA and sleep apnea may lead to earlier impairment of cardiac function in women than in men.
OSA has become common due to lifestyle changes, but is very dangerous for health as it causes an increased risk for left ventricular and right ventricular dysfunction also in the heart.
One of the common types of sleep apnea disorder, OSA is a condition that occurs when throat muscles intermittently relax and block the airway during sleep. It causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep.
Researchers analyzed the cardiac function of 4,877 participants who had received a cardiac MRI in relation to diagnosed OSA and self-reported snoring. The patients were divided into three categories- those with OSA-118 patients, those with self-reported snoring-1, 886 patients, and those who are unaffected- 2,477 patients. There were 396 individuals who did not meet research criteria.
The study led by Adrian Curta, showed an increase in left ventricular mass making the heart work harder of both the genders. Researchers said that men showed an increase percentage of the heart chamber’s total volume that is pumped out with each heartbeat, also called as ejection fraction.
While comparing unaffected group to the snoring group, a significant difference was found in the left ventricular mass in women than in men. The researchers said that as OSA remains as a highly undiagnosed disorder, cardiac changes in people who self-snoring, could be early symptoms of OSA. The cardiac function in women is affected easily by OSA and therefore, they remain at a greater risk for cardiac issues than men, said Dr Curta.
