AFib Risk Spikes With Sleep Deprivation

Poor sleep is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), according to results of a new study. This suggests that patients with sleep apnea, insomnia, and others should be considered for AF screening as well.

To come to this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from 4553 participants in the Health eHeart study and validated the findings against 5703 participants in the Cardiovascular Health study, which included patients who underwent polysomnography (n = 1127).

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The researchers also analyzed 2005-2009 data from the California Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, which included more than 14 million California residents, to better understand how these relationships translated to medical practice.

Overall, the 526 of the 4553 participants in the Health eHeart study with AF had more frequent nighttime awakening than participants without AF.

The validation analysis found that after a median 11.6 years, participants in the Cardiovascular Health study who had more frequent nighttime awakening had a 33% higher risk for AF than those with little to no nighttime awakening.

In a sub-analysis of patients who underwent polysomnography, the researchers found that every standard deviation percentage decrease in rapid eye movement sleep translated to an 18% higher risk for AF.

Findings from the analysis of California residents showed that insomnia increased the risk for AF by 36%.

“Sleep disruption consistently predicted AF before and after adjustment for [obstructive sleep apnea] and other potential confounders across several different populations,” the researchers conclude. “Sleep quality itself may be important in the pathogenesis of AF, potentially representing a novel target for prevention.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Christensen MA, Dixit S, Dewland TA, et al. Sleep characteristics that predict atrial fibrillation [published online June 25, 2018]. Heart Rhythm. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.05.008.

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