Snoring women at higher risk for heart disease
NEW YORK, Jan 31 (Reuters Health) -- The risk of heart disease and stroke
is twice as high in women who snore regularly as in those who never snore,
report US researchers.
"Snoring doesn't mean a woman is going to get cardiovascular disease,
but it is a marker of higher risk," said researcher Dr. Meir J. Stampfer
of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. "If a woman snores, she
and her physician should be more aggressive about reducing her other risk
factors. "
The finding comes from an 8-year study of snoring and serious heart disease
among nearly 72,000 nurses, led by Dr. Frank Hu from Harvard School of
Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. The researchers note that previous
studies examining the association between snoring and cardiovascular disease
have been short-term and have involved men.
Only a quarter of the women reported never snoring, whereas 10% snored
regularly and 65% snored occasionally, according to results published
in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Regular snoring was more common among divorced or widowed women (11%)
than among married women (9%).
Regular snorers were less healthy than nonsnorers, with a higher likelihood
of having diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, the researchers
report. They were also more likely to smoke cigarettes and use alcohol.
When compared with nonsnoring women of similar age, regular snorers were
twice as likely to die from heart attacks or strokes, while occasional
snorers were nearly 50% more likely to experience heart attacks or strokes
and 61% more likely to die from them, the investigators note.
Even after adjustment for their poorer general health, the risk of cardiovascular
disease remained 20% higher for occasional snorers and 33% higher for
regular snorers than for nonsnorers, the results indicate.
"Our data suggest that snoring is associated with a modest but significantly
increased risk of cardiovascular disease in women, independent of age,
smoking, obesity, and other cardiovascular risk factors," the authors
conclude. They call for more research into the reasons why snoring is
linked to higher heart risks, but suggest that doctors should ask patients
if they snore, and pay close attention to heart disease risk factors in
those who do.
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2000;35:308-313
We now know that snoring is more than just a nuisance to your bed partner. It is often associated with sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and increased
risk for heart disease. In this 8-year Harvard study of snoring and its
relationship to serious heart disease among nearly 72,000 nurses, the
relationship between snoring and heart attacks and strokes has been confirmed. It is not clear why snoring, per se, has these dire consequences. However,
my advice to anyone who snores, male or female, is to see whether you
are a candidate for any of the surgical or non-surgical measures that
can stop snoring. In any event, if you are an adult snorer, have your
doctor check you out for any other risk factors you may have for heart
disease. This means determining and normalizing your cholesterol level,
blood pressure, weight, and level of physical activity.
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