Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2016 Jul 1;39(7):1353-9.
doi: 10.5665/sleep.5962.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Central Compared to Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Analyses from the Sleep Heart Health Study Cohort

Lucas M Donovan  1 , Vishesh K Kapur  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Prevalence and Characteristics of Central Compared to Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Analyses from the Sleep Heart Health Study Cohort

Lucas M Donovan et al. Sleep. .

Abstract

Study objectives: Determine the prevalence of central sleep apnea (CSA) in a large community-based cohort using current definitions and contrast the clinical characteristics of subjects with CSA to those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and no sleep apnea.

Methods: A cross sectional analysis of baseline data from 5,804 participants of the Sleep Heart Health study was performed. Subjects meeting contemporary diagnostic criteria for CSA and Cheyne Stokes respiration (CSR) were compared to those without sleep apnea and those with OSA. Demographic data, medical comorbidities, medication use, and sleep related symptoms were compared between the groups.

Results: The prevalences of CSA and Cheyne Stokes respiration (CSR) in this sample were 0.9 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.7-1.2)% and 0.4 (95% CI: 0.3-0.6)%, respectively. Individuals with CSA were older, had lower body mass indexes (BMI), lower Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, and were more likely to be male than individuals with obstructive sleep apnea OSA. Among those with self-reported heart failure (HF), OSA was much more common at 55.1% (95% CI: 45.6-64.6) than CSA 4.1% (95% CI: 0.3-7.9).

Conclusions: This is the largest community-based study of the prevalence and characteristics of CSA to date and demonstrates a prevalence of CSA that is intermediate to those previously noted. Contrary to prior data from clinic based samples, individuals with heart failure were much more likely to have OSA than CSA.

Keywords: central sleep apnea; cheyne stokes respiration; heart failure; obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders. 3rd ed. Darien, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2014.
    1. Hanly PJ, Zuberi-Khokhar NS. Increased mortality associated with Cheyne-Stokes respiration in patients with congestive heart failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996;153:272–6. - PubMed
    1. Findley LJ, Zwillich CW, Ancoli-Israel S, Kripke D, Tisi G, Moser KM. Cheyne-Stokes breathing during sleep in patients with left ventricular heart failure. Southern Med J. 1985;78:11–5. - PubMed
    1. Bixler EO, Vgontzas AN, Ten Have T, Tyson K, Kales A. Effects of age on sleep apnea in men: I. Prevalence and severity. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998;157:144–8. - PubMed
    1. Mehra R, Stone KL, Blackwell T, et al. Prevalence and correlates of sleep-disordered breathing in older men: osteoporotic fractures in men sleep study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007;55:1356–64. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms