Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Snorers: A Cross-Sectional Study of 3,323 Men Aged 54 to 74 Years: The Copenhagen Male Study

Abstract

Former studies on the association between snoring and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have only partly taken established CVD risk factors into consideration. In the Copenhagen Male Study, 3,323 men aged 54 to 74 years were classified according to self-reported snoring habits. Eleven CVD risk factors were examined. The prevalence of snoring decreased with age, with a 50 percent higher frequency of snorers among the youngest quintile than among the oldest (p < 0.00001). Snoring, age adjusted, was positively associated with tobacco smoking (p < 0.001), alcohol consumption (p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.0001), serum triglyceride level (p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) and nearly significantly associated with diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.07). Snorers were less physically active in leisure time than others (p < 0.01). The association between self-reported snoring and blood pressure disappeared when other factors, including BMI, were taken into consideration. No significant associations were found between snoring and social class, snoring and low- or high-density lipoprotein or between snoring and hypertension. We conclude that snoring is associated with major cardiovascular risk factors. Accordingly, it is evident that in studies on snoring and CVD, proper controlling for the influence of potential confounders is a sine qua non.