Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep disorder that interrupts respiration during sleep. It is associated with increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Aim: To screen for OSA among cardiovascular disease patients. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was carried out in Makkah city and 451 patients were recruited. Data of this study was collected using a questionnaire which includes sociodemographic data and STOP-Bang test that consists of 8 questions, and net results of STOP-Bang test scoring was divided into OSA-low risk, OSA-intermediate risk and OSA-high risk. Results: The majority of studied patients were males 315(69.8%), Saudis 370(82%), married 353(78.3%). diabetic 291(64.5%), and their age between 40 to 59 years. 81.4% of the studied patients have OSA-high risk, 9.3% have OSA-intermediate risk while 9.3% have OSA-low risk. The relationship between OSA risk scores and patients' characteristics shows a statistical significance (p < 0.05) in all patients' characteristics except using medications for chronic diseases (p 0.228). Conclusion: OSA is highly prevalent among cardiovascular disease patients. Physicians' awareness regarding screening, diagnosis, and treatment of OSA is essential to prevent cardiovascular disease risks.