Research shows sleep apnea can increase a woman’s risk for heart problems and death but not men, reported by HealthDay.
The finding “highlights the importance of sleep apnea screening and treatment for women, a group who often are not routinely screened for sleep apnea,” study co-author Dr. Susan Redline, a sleep specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release.
The study involved more than 1,600 people, average age 63, who did not have heart disease at the start of the study. All were tracked for an average of nearly 14 years.
During that time, 46 percent of the men and 32 percent of the women either developed heart problems or died.
The study wasn’t designed to prove cause and effect. However, Redline’s group found that women with moderate to severe sleep apnea had more than a 30 percent higher risk of heart problems than women without sleep apnea. The study found no significant link between sleep apnea and heart problems in men.
