People With Sleep Apnea at Higher Risk for Aggressive Heart Disease

CHICAGO—People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder associated with obesity, have more non-calcified or "bad" plaque in their coronary arteries, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

A CT image of individual heart vessels showing calcified atherosclerotic plaque (arrows) and abundant non-calcified ("soft") plaque (arrowheads) in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea. Image and caption courtesy of the RSNA.

"Our study reveals that individuals with obstructive sleep apnea are prone to developing an aggressive form of atherosclerosis that puts them at risk for impaired blood flow and cardiovascular events," said U. Joseph Schoepf, M.D., professor of radiology and medicine and director of cardiovascular imaging at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.

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People With Sleep Apnea at Higher Risk for Aggressive Heart Disease