WASHINGTON, DC -- November 19, 2009 -- Sleep apnoea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a study published early online and appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.
Researchers found that kidney transplant patients are just as likely to have this sleep disorder as dialysed kidney disease patients who are on the transplant waiting list. Therefore, both types of patients who have sleep apnoea should be considered at high risk for developing serious heart-related complications.
Miklos Zsolt Molnar, MD, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, and colleagues studied the prevalence of sleep apnoea in kidney transplant patients and the effects the condition had on their cardiovascular risk.
The study included 100 transplant recipients. The researchers found that moderate-to-severe sleep apnea occurred in 1 of every 4 individuals. This rate was similar to that seen in a group of dialysed kidney disease patients who were waiting for a transplant.
In addition, kidney transplant patients with sleep apnoea were more than twice as likely to be taking 3 or more anti-hypertensive drugs as patients without the sleep disorder but still displayed higher blood pressure than patients who slept normally.
As seen in the general population, being obese increased patients' risk of developing sleep apnea. When risk scores were calculated to predict patients' risk of developing heart disease or experiencing a stroke, kidney disease patients who had sleep apnoea had twice the risk as patients without apnoea.
"We propose that sleep apnoea is a new risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular events in kidney transplanted patients," said Dr. Molnar. "Physicians should screen transplant patients for obstructive sleep apnoea and offer appropriate treatment."
SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology
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