Aneurysm size and blood pressure severity in patients with intracranial aneurysms and sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for hypertension. Hypertension is associated with aneurysm formation, growth, and rupture of intracranial aneurysm (IA). Retrospectively, symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are more prevalent in patients with IAs. Studies investigating the prevalence and effect of objectively measured sleep apnea in these patients are sparse. We report on the baseline data of an ongoing prospective study. We cross-sectionally analyzed whether obstructive sleep apnea was associated with larger IAs and increased need for antihypertensive medications in a population of patients with unruptured IA. METHODS: 130 adult (≥ 18 years) patients with unruptured IAs were recruited. Patients with ischemic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 3 months prior to screening were excluded. We assessed obstructive sleep apnea by full-night respiratory polygraphy. Aneurysm size and antihypertensive medication-as a surrogate parameter for the severity of hypertension-were compared between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index >5 events/h). Aneurysm growth and rupture rate were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: 101 patients completed the study protocol. Obstructive sleep apnea was diagnosed in 68.0% (17) of male and 34.2% (26) of female participants and associated with more severe hypertension (1.536 ± 0.2 vs 0.74 ± 0.1 drugs; P = .01) and larger aneurysms (6.9 ± 1.0 vs 3.8 ± 0.5 mm; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea had more antihypertensive medication and larger IAs, probably due to accelerated aneurysm growth. Sleep apnea should be considered in patients with IAs. More research is needed to investigate the effects of sleep apnea on IAs and aneurysm outcome. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: Incidence and Effects of Sleep Apnea on Intracerebral Aneurysms-IESA Study; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02880059; Identifier: NCT02880059. CITATION: Zaremba S, Albus L, Hadjiathanasiou A, Vatter H, Wüllner U, Güresir E. Aneurysm size and blood pressure severity in patients with intracranial aneurysms and sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(6):1539-1545.

Poor blood pressure control following subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients with sleep apnea.

RATIONALE: Retrospective studies indicate that obstructive sleep apnea occurs often after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. We aim to investigate if obstructive sleep apnea is associated with impaired blood pressure control early after subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage were recruited and screened for sleep apnea using cardiorespiratory polygraphy within 48 h after intensive care unit admission, and 6 months after hospital discharge at home. Blood pressure was continuously measured using intra-arterial catheter within the first 24 h after admission. Time between hospital admission and first blood pressure below 140 mmHg, and time with elevated blood pressure within the first 24 h after admission were compared between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea. RESULTS: Of 60 patients, 55 successfully completed the study. Obstructive sleep apnea (AHI > 5/h) was diagnosed in 32% of men and 24% of women. While the time to reach a blood pressure of 140 mmHg did not differ (60.0 ± 26.2 min vs. 49.7 ± 16.4 min; p = 0.74), obstructive sleep apnea patients spent more time with blood pressure above 140 mmHg (292.0 ± 114.0 vs. 96.9 ± 28.3 min per 24 h; p = 0.025, CI 95 -363.6 to -26.5) within the observational period. Only AHI and diagnosed hypertension were significant predictors for elevated blood pressure (R2 0.42; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated in our study with poor blood pressure control early after subarachnoid hemorrhage. These patients may need advanced management for blood pressure including management for OSA following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Screening for sleep apnea in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage is recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClincalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02724215, registered on March 31, 2016.

Increased risk for subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients with sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVES: Recent retrospective studies found sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea and its symptoms to occur more often in patients following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, but studies investigating the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients with diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] compared to other sleep disorders are missing. METHODS: To test our hypothesis that aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs more often in patients with OSA compared to other sleep disorders, we analyzed clinical data of 5514 patients with OSA, 4150 with other sleep disorders, and 964 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage diagnosed between 01/01/2007 and 12/31/2016. As a secondary outcome, location and size of the ruptured aneurysm were calculated based on computer tomography. Incidence of SAH, as well as size and location were compared between patients with OSA and patients with other sleep disorders, diagnosed by polysomnography. RESULTS: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage occurred in 8.3 per 100,000 patients with sleep disorders per year. Its incidence was significantly higher in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (14.5 per 100,000 patients per year), compared to other sleep disorders (2.4 per 100,000 patients per year; RR = 6.8; p = 0.04). The size of the ruptured aneurysm was larger in patients with OSA (19.0 ± 5.7 mm vs. 8.5 ± 0.5 mm; p = 0.004). INTERPRETATION: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs more often in patients with diagnosed OSA compared to patients with other sleep disorders, possibly due to increased aneurysm enlargement. Obstructive sleep apnea might be a yet unrecognized risk factor for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and sleep apnea screening should be considered in patients with intracranial aneurysm.