Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm: A Prospective, Parallel Cohort Study

Background: The pathogenesis and etiology of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) are largely unknown. Preliminary data from patients with aortic dissection and abdominal aneurysms suggest a causal link of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on aortic disease.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of OSA in patients with TAA compared to a matched control group.

Method: In this prospective parallel-cohort study, we 2-to-1 matched 208 patients with verified TAA (at the aortic sinus and/or ascending aorta) to 104 controls without TAA according to sex, age, height, weight, and left ventricular ejection fraction. All participants underwent an ultrasound of the thoracic aorta and a level III respiratory polygraphy. OSA was defined as apnea-hypopnea index ≥5/h. The prevalence of OSA was compared with conditional logistic regression and controlling for the matching variables.

Results: A total of 312 patients (mean age 65 ± 11 years, 82% male, mean body mass index 27 ± 4 kg/m2) were successfully 2-to-1 matched in the final model. Prevalence of OSA was significantly higher in the TAA-group when compared to the matched control group (63 vs. 47%; odds ratio 1.87 [95% CI 1.05-3.34]; p = 0.03). When applying a higher apnea-hypopnea index threshold (≥15/h), the odds ratio increased to 3.25 (95% CI 1.65-6.42; p < 0.001). The median apnea-hypopnea index was higher in patients with TAA (9.2/h [3.3-20.0] vs. 4.5/h [2.2-11.1], p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Patients with TAA have a higher prevalence of OSA when compared to the general population. Since OSA is effectively treatable and might contribute to the pathogenesis of TAA, further longitudinal trials are needed to assess the association between OSA and TAA.