Role of Sleep Apnea and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy in the Incidence of Stroke or Coronary Heart Disease in Women

Rationale: It is unknown whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for incident cardiovascular events in women.Objectives: We sought to investigate whether OSA increases the incidence of a composite of stroke or coronary heart disease (CHD) in women, and the role of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on this association.Methods: This was a prospective, observational study conducted in two Spanish teaching hospitals between 1998 and 2007. Consecutive women referred for suspected OSA and free of previous stroke and CHD were analyzed. Women with an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) less than 10 comprised the control group, and those with an AHI greater than or equal to 10 were diagnosed with OSA and classified as CPAP-treated (adherence ≥ 4 h/d) or untreated (adherence < 4 h/d or not prescribed). The follow-up ended in December 2010.Measurements and Main Results: A total of 967 women were studied (median follow-up, 6.8 yr; interquartile range, 5.2–8.2). The untreated OSA group sho...