Objectives. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The\naim of this study was to assess whether the 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease in newly diagnosed patients with OSAS is\nincreased. Materials and Methods. Recently diagnosed, with polysomnography, consecutive OSAS patients were included. The\nSystematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) were used to estimate the 10-year risk for\ncardiovascular disease. Results. Totally, 393 individuals (73.3% males), scheduled to undergo a polysomnographic study with\nsymptoms indicative of OSAS, were enrolled. According to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), subjects were divided in four groups:\nmild OSAS (AHI 5ââ?¬â??14.9/h) was diagnosed in 91 patients (23.2%), moderate OSAS (AHI 15ââ?¬â??29.9/h) in 58 patients (14.8%), severe\nOSAS (AHI > 30/h) in 167 patients (42.5%), while 77 individuals (19.6%) had an AHI < 5/h and served as controls. Increased\nseverity of OSAS was associated with increased SCORE (p<0.001) and FRS values (p<0.001). More specifically, a significant\ncorrelation was observed both between AHI and SCORE (r 0.251, p<0.001) and AHI and FRS values (r 0.291, p<0.001).\nFurthermore, a negative correlation was observed between FRS values and sleep efficiency (r âË?â?? 0.224, p 0.006). Conclusions.\nThe 10-year risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality seems to increase with severity of OSAS. Physicians should bear this\nfinding in mind, in order to seek for and consecutively eliminate risk factors for cardiovascular disease and to prevent future\ncardiovascular events in OSAS patients.
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