Abstract
Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and coronary slow-flow phenomenon (CSFP) are known to share similar etiopathogenic mechanisms, such as chronic sympathetic activation, upregulation of inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress and, finally, endothelial dysfunction. We evaluated whether there is an association between OSA and coronary flow rates. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients who underwent diagnostic nocturnal polysomnography for suspected OSA. Those who had coronary angiography performed within the same year of polysomnography were divided into two main groups: those with (group 1) and without (group 2) OSA; also, angiographic coronary TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) frame counts (TFC) were compared between the groups. Patients with coronary arterial stenosis and angiograms with inadequate filling of the coronary arteries or visualization of the distal landmarks for frame counting were excluded from the study. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding TFCs. We found a significant positive correlation between mean TFC and apnea-hypopnea index (r=0.611, P<0.001). The current study demonstrated that sleep apnea impairs coronary flow rates and is associated with CSFP.
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