Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be at increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) secondary to both traditional and RA-related risk factors, a recent study found. To that end, diagnosis with OSA predicts future cardiovascular disease (CVD) in RA and may provide an opportunity for CVD intervention. Medical information pertaining to RA, OSA, CVD, and vascular diagnoses was extracted from a comprehensive medical record system for a geographically defined population of 813 patients previously diagnosed with RA and 813 age- and sex-matched comparator subjects. Researchers found:

• The risk for OSA in persons with RA vs comparators was elevated, although not reaching statistical significance.
• Patients with RA were more likely to be diagnosed with OSA if they had traditional risk factors for OSA, including male sex, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and increased body mass index.
• Features of RA disease associated with OSA included large joint swelling and joint surgery.
• Patients with RA with decreased renal function were also at higher risk of OSA.
• The increased risk of overall CVD among patients with RA who have OSA was similar to the increased CVD risk associated with OSA in the comparator cohort.