Sleep efficiency and disturbance is associated with cardiovascular risk in non-obese sleep disordered breathing: The Guangdong sleep health study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We aimed to figure out the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the participants with non-obese sleep disordered breathing (SDB). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Community residents in Guangdong were investigated. Sleep study was conducted with a type Ⅳ sleep monitoring. Cardiovascular risk was assessed by the China-PAR risk equations. RESULTS: 1983 community residents with SDB were included, 92.4 % were non-obese. 270 (18.9 %) were with high risk of CVD in the non-obese SDB, while 33 (28.2 %) in the obese SDB (P = 0.021). In the non-obese SDB, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was higher in participants with high risk of CVD comparing with those with low risk of CVD (P = 0.013). Sleep efficiency and sleep disturbance were independently associated with high risk of CVD in participants with non-obese SDB (OR = 1.369, P = 0.020; OR = 1.489, P = 0.027, respectively). Comparing with a normal sleep efficiency, the probability for high CVD risk increased 152 % in non-obese SDB with a sleep efficiency ≤64 %. Comparing with no sleep disturbance, the probability for high CVD risk increased 109 % in non-obese SDB with fairly bad sleep disturbance. There was no such relationship between PSQI components and CVD risk in the participants with obese SDB. CONCLUSION: The majority of SDB was non-obese in the community in Guangdong. CVD risk was increased in non-obese SDB. A bad subjective sleep efficiency and sleep disturbance were associated with high CVD risk in non-obese SDB. Non-obese SDB may be treated as a specific phenotype.