Snoring frequency and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study

Objective: To evaluate the association between snoring frequency and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) according to age and gender in Chinese population.

Design: A cohort study was performed in Suzhou site of the China Kadoorie Biobank. Residents who didn't suffer from T2DM at baseline survey (2004-2008) and in half a year after baseline were enrolled in this study and followed cause-specific morbidity until 31 December 2013. All participants were requested to complete a detailed questionnaire and undergo anthropometric measurements. Cox regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for the snoring and T2DM association.

Setting: Wuzhong district, Suzhou, China.

Participants: A total of 49 453 participants (men: 41.8%; mean age: 51.14±10.28 years) were enrolled in this study.

Outcome measures: T2DM cases were defined as International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision code of E11 and were identified through disease registries and health insurance databases.

Results: During a media of 7.18 years follow-up, 1120 T2DM cases were identified. Higher T2DM incidence was observed in participants with frequent and occasional snoring compared with those without (4.80 and 2.87 vs 2.39 per 1000 person-years). The multivariable-adjusted model found snoring was independently associated with T2DM (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.38), both in men (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.41) and women (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.39). Moreover, a significant multiplicative interaction effect between snoring and age was detected on T2DM risk (p=0.015).

Conclusions: Snoring was independently associated with an increased risk of T2DM in Chinese population, both in men and women. Meanwhile, there was an interaction effect between snoring and age on T2DM risk.