Low sleep quality is associated with progression of arterial stiffness in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: HSCAA study

Abstract

Background and aimsImprovement in sleep quality is considered to be a viable target for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. To gain insight into its underlying mechanisms, we evaluated the significance of objectively measured sleep quality in patients with regard to progression of arterial stiffness over a 3-year follow-up period. MethodsThis prospective cohort study included 306 serial patients registered in the Hyogo Sleep Cardio-Autonomic Atherosclerosis (HSCAA) study. In addition to classical cardiovascular risk factors (body mass index, current smoking, past history of cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus), the participants were examined for ambulatory blood pressure (BP), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), standard deviation of the NN (RR) interval (SDNN) for heart rate variability (HRV), and objective sleep quality using actigraphy findings. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured at both baseline and follow-up (36.6 ± 6.8 months) as a parameter of arterial stiffness. ResultsIncreases in PWV (%) were greater (p = 0.03) in the low sleep quality (LSQ) group (5.75 ± 1.15%) as compared to the normal sleep quality group (2.69 ± 0.85%). Patients with the greatest increase (≥20%) from baseline exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) larger percentage of LSQ (75% vs. 49.6%) as compared to those without PWV progression (<0%), with the association still significant (odds ratio 3.62, 95% confidence interval 1.04–12.55, p = 0.04) even after adjustment for other clinical risk factors. For all subjects, univariate logistic regression analyses showed that diabetes and LSQ were significantly associated with the greatest increase of PWV. Comparisons of characteristics among specific subgroups showed more prominent associations of LSQ with the greatest increase of PWV in patients with greater age, dyslipidemia, and higher AHI. ConclusionsLSQ was associated with progression of arterial stiffness over a 3-year period, independent of cardiovascular risk factors such as BP, AHI, and HRV.