Impact of snoring on the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes mellitus

Background: The impact of snoring and diabetes on stroke risk is unclear. This study examined the association between snoring and stroke risk and how it varies with diabetes mellitus (DM) status.

Methods: This research was conducted as a prospective cohort study. A total of 4,352 subjects were included in the analysis, with a mean follow-up time of 13.7 years. The study used snoring history obtained through interviews as the primary exposure variable and DM as the secondary exposure variable. The main outcome measured was the occurrence of stroke. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additionally, a joint test was conducted to evaluate the combined effect of snoring and diabetes on the occurrence of stroke.

Results: In our study of 4,352 subjects, 1,135 (26.1%) had a history of snoring, 233 (5.4%) had diabetes mellitus, and over the 18-year observation period, there were 168 cases of new-onset stroke. Snoring was not associated with an increased risk of stroke (HR: 0.95, 95% CI [0.68-1.33]), but DM significantly elevated the risk of stroke (3.02 [1.96-4.65]). In the interaction analysis of snoring and DM status on stroke risk, snoring was a significant risk factor for stroke only in the population with DM (2.89 [1.07-7.60]). Compared to non-snoring and non-DM, the multivariate HRs for stroke were 1.09 (0.76-1.57) for snoring and non-DM, 1.64 (0.83-2.82) for non-snoring and DM, and 2.95 (1.42-5.45) for snoring and DM.

Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus was associated with an increased risk of stroke, while a history of snoring was not. In a sub analysis, snoring appeared to be associated with an increased risk of stroke among subjects with diabetes mellitus.