Abstract
BackgroundSleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) and contributes to poor cardiovascular outcomes. Enlarged glycemic variability (GV) is a risk factor of cardiac events independently of average blood glucose level, but the influence of SDB on GV is uncertain. In this study, we examined whether the impact of SDB on GV is modified by the presence of DM with or without HF.Methods and resultsTwo hundred three patients (67.5±14.1 [SD] years old, 132 males) who were admitted to our institute for examination or treatment of DM and/or HF underwent continuous glucose monitoring and polysomnography. Both HbA1c (8.0±2.0 vs. 5.7±0.4%) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE, median: 95.5 vs. 63.5 mg/dl) were significantly higher in a DM group (n = 100) than in a non-DM group (n = 103), but apnea-hypopnea index (AHI: 29.0±22.7 vs. 29.3±21.5) was similar in the two groups. AHI was correlated with log MAGE in the non-DM group but not in the DM group, and multivariate regression analysis revealed that AHI was an independent variable for log MAGE in the non-DM group but not in the DM group. We then divided the non-DM patients into two subgroups according to BNP level (100 pg/ml). AHI was positively correlated with log MAGE (r = 0.74, p<0.001) in the non-DM low-BNP subgroup, but such a correlation was not found in the non-DM high-BNP subgroup. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduced MAGE from 75.3 to 53.0 mg/dl in the non-DM group but did not reduce MAGE in the DM group.ConclusionSeverity of SDB was associated with higher GV, but DM as well as HF diminished the contribution of SDB to GV. Treatment with CPAP was effective for reduction of GV only in patients without DM.
Highlights
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a common disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of cessation of breathing leading to intermittent hypoxia, brain arousals, sleep fragmentation, and sympathetic activation
Severity of SDB was associated with higher glycemic variability (GV), but diabetes mellitus (DM) as well as heart failure (HF) diminished the contribution of SDB to GV
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was slightly lower and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level was slightly higher in the non-DM group, though the differences were not statistically significant
Summary
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a common disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of cessation of breathing leading to intermittent hypoxia, brain arousals, sleep fragmentation, and sympathetic activation. The prevalence of SDB, especially OSA, has been increasing in commensuration with the obesity epidemic [1]. Obesity is significantly associated with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) [2]. Cardiovascular diseases, including chronic heart failure (HF), are known to be associated with increased SDB [9,10,11], and SDB is potentially a risk factor for mortality in HF patients [12,13]. HF is known to reduce insulin sensitivity regardless of the presence or absence of SDB, and DM is an established risk factor of HF [14]. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) and contributes to poor cardiovascular outcomes.
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