Background and aims: Sleep characteristics are associated with incident cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but there is a lack of studies on the association between sleep characteristics and incidence/progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC).
Methods: In the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study, a population-based cohort study in Germany, CAC was assessed by electron-beam tomography at baseline and at 5-year follow-up. In an analysis set of 3043 subjects (age at baseline 45-74 years; 47% men), we fitted logistic and linear regression models to assess associations between self-rated sleep characteristics (nocturnal and total sleep duration; napping; various sleep disorders) and CAC incidence/CAC progression. Progression was measured as 5-year progression factor, as categories of absolute CAC change, and additionally characterized as rapid or slow compared to an extrapolation of baseline CAC values.
Results: We observed barely any association between sleep characteristics and CAC progression regardless of the chosen statistical approach; associations between sleep and CAC incidence were slightly larger, e.g., the geometric mean of the 5-year CAC progression factor was 6.8% (95% confidence interval: -9.5; 25.9) larger for ≤5 h, 2.9% (-7.3; 14.3) larger for 5.1-6.9 h and 7.1% (-2.4; 15.7) smaller for ≥7.5 h total sleep compared to 7- <7.5 h total sleep. For subjects with any regular sleep disorder, the geometric mean of the 5-year CAC progression was 3.5% (-4.7; 11.2) smaller compared to subjects without any regular sleep disorder.
Conclusions: In this German cohort study, sleep characteristics were barely associated with CAC progression.
Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery calcification; Napping; Sleep disorders; Sleep duration.
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