Summary: | Introduction
Current knowledge on the correlation between smoking and
comorbidities associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is limited. This
study evaluated the smoking history of OSA patients and analyzed the association
between smoking and OSA comorbidities.
Methods
Retrospective analysis was performed in newly diagnosed OSA patients
in our hospital, a tertiary medical center, from January 2016 to December 2019.
In all, 1021 patients were enrolled and divided into two groups, non-smokers
(n=796) and current/former smokers (n=225), in order to compare their clinical
manifestations and polysomnographic results and to analyze the association
between smoking and comorbidities.
Results
Compared with the non-smokers, the current/former smokers had higher
Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) scores (9.3 ± 4.0 vs 8.5 ± 5.1; p<0.05), longer
sleep latency (SL) [20.5 (12.3–39.3) vs 18.5 (10.0–34.0) minutes; p<0.05],
and a lower nocturnal mean oxygen saturation (91.8 ± 3.6% vs 92.8 ± 3.4%;
p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)
between the two groups. OSA patients with a history of smoking had significantly
increased risk of hypertension (OR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.46–3.01), chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR=9.80; 95% CI: 4.73–20.33), gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD) (OR=1.97; 95% CI: 1.19–3.27), and chronic pharyngitis
(OR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.32–2.54).
Conclusions
No significant association was found between previous smoking history
and current OSA severity. OSA patients with a history of smoking had an increased
risk of hypertension, COPD, GERD, and chronic pharyngitis.
|