Abstract
Sleep apnoea is an important risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. With up to 50%, cardiovascular events are the major cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Moreover, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) often limit the long term survival after successful kidney transplantation.
Therefore a consequent detection and reduction of cardiovascular risk factor should be a major goal in patients with ESRD in particular for patients on the waiting list. Sleep apnoe (SA) has a prevalence of 30-80% in dialysis patients. The diagnosis of SA is difficult in patients with ESRD since conventional questionnaires are often misleading.
We started a study to investigate the prevalence of sleep apnoe in patients with renal transplantation. The study collective includes over 130 patients, more than 50 of them received a living transplantation. The prevalence of sleep apnoea in our study group was round about 40%. There was no influence of the typical risk factors for sleep apnoea such gender and BMI in our patient collective. The age (P=0,003) and the co-existence of other cardiovascular diseases (p<0,001) were the most important risk factors for sleep apnoea. Also typical dialysis parameters like diuresis and time on dialysis influences the appearance of sleep apnoea. Notably symptoms like sleepiness and snoring or the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were not usefull to detect sleep apnoea in our study collective.
The study will be finished in summer 2011. Further study datas will be expected. For conclusion we can summarize that it is very usefull to screen everybody on the waiting list for kidney transplantation because it presents a very common cardiovascular risk factor in patients with renal disease.
- © 2011 ERS