SAN DIEGO — The presence of obstructive sleep apnea independently increases the risk of death after acute ischemic stroke, results from a single-center study showed.
The finding underscores the importance of screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a risk factor for the development of stroke, since effective treatment for the condition is available, researchers led by Dr. Meghna P. Mansukhani reported during a poster session at the International Stroke Conference.
The finding also confirms results of a 10-year-long Swedish study that demonstrated an increase in mortality in stroke patients diagnosed with OSA after the stroke by polysomnography (Arch. Intern. Med. 2008;168:297-301).
Dr. Mansukhani and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., studied 174 consecutive patients who presented with acute ischemic stroke during June 2007-March 2008. The patients completed the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire, a screening test for OSA in the primary care setting. The mean age of the patients was 72 years, and 55% were female.
A total of 105 patients (61%) had a high risk of sleep apnea. Of these, seven had a previous diagnosis of OSA.
Of the 174 patients studied, 11 died (6%). Those who had a previous diagnosis of OSA were 5 times more likely to die within the first month following the stroke, compared with those who did not have a diagnosis of OSA, according to the presentation at a conference sponsored by the American Heart Association.
Dr. Mansukhani said she had no conflicts to disclose.