By Dr. David O. Volpi
I read a study recently that I immediately knew I had to make you aware of.
Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that snoring is a bigger risk factor for heart disease, including stroke and heart attacks, than being overweight, having high cholesterol, and even smoking! Yes, you read that right—snoring is an even bigger risk factor for heart disease.
The study, which was submitted to The Laryngoscope journal, is the first of its kind to show a link between snoring and heart disease, similar to other risk factors, such as sleep apnea, obesity, smoking and high cholesterol are also linked to heart disease.
Snorers showed arterial damage
For the study, Dr. Robert Deeb, MD, and senior study author Karen Yaremchuk, MD, reviewed the data of 913 patients, all between the ages of 18 and 40, who had been evaluated by the Henry Ford sleep center between December 2006 and January 2012.
The researchers noticed that the carotid arteries—the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain—had thickened among the snorers, indicating that arterial damage had occurred due to snoring.
The researchers hypothesized that the thickening of the artery walls could have been due to the trauma and inflammation caused by snoring. But previous research on sleep apnea and artery disease has found the opposite: arterial damage comes first, reducing the oxygen level in the blood, leading to interruptions in breathing. The thickening of the arteries may also be contributing to the snoring in the patients.
Even more interesting: The snorers’ arterial walls had thickened, even though none of the patients had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While OSA often develops from snoring and has been known as an indicator of cardiovascular disease, there’s been little evidence until now to prove that arterial damage can actually begin with snoring.
What these results mean
So what are the medical implications of the Henry Ford study? Let’s review coronary artery disease for a moment. Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as atherosclerosis, occurs when waxy plaque builds up on the inner walls of the arteries.
Over time, the arterial walls thicken and stiffen, restricting blood flow to the heart and/or brain. It is commonly know that CAD is a precursor to conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
The results of the Henry Ford study—that the carotid arteries had thickened among the snorers, is important to pay attention to because it means that snoring, not just OSA, is a high risk factor for coronary artery disease, heart disease, and other related conditions.
Drs. Deeb and Yaremchuk’s research is groundbreaking because arterial blockage and other forms of heart disease are usually detected only after significant permanent damage has been done.
This new research should encourage snorers—and those who love them—to visit a doctor to discuss cardiovascular health and stroke prevention, and get properly diagnosed and treated.
The research is clear that doctors should add snoring to the list of coronary artery disease risk factors, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and family history. Perhaps if patients and their doctors considered snoring a serious health threat and treated it accordingly, there would be a great reduction in heart disease.
Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that snoring is a bigger risk factor for heart disease, including stroke and heart attacks, than being overweight, having high cholesterol, and even smoking! Yes, you read that right—snoring is an even bigger risk factor for heart disease.
The study, which was submitted to The Laryngoscope journal, is the first of its kind to show a link between snoring and heart disease, similar to other risk factors, such as sleep apnea, obesity, smoking and high cholesterol are also linked to heart disease.
Snorers showed arterial damage
For the study, Dr. Robert Deeb, MD, and senior study author Karen Yaremchuk, MD, reviewed the data of 913 patients, all between the ages of 18 and 40, who had been evaluated by the Henry Ford sleep center between December 2006 and January 2012.
The researchers noticed that the carotid arteries—the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain—had thickened among the snorers, indicating that arterial damage had occurred due to snoring.
The researchers hypothesized that the thickening of the artery walls could have been due to the trauma and inflammation caused by snoring. But previous research on sleep apnea and artery disease has found the opposite: arterial damage comes first, reducing the oxygen level in the blood, leading to interruptions in breathing. The thickening of the arteries may also be contributing to the snoring in the patients.
Even more interesting: The snorers’ arterial walls had thickened, even though none of the patients had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While OSA often develops from snoring and has been known as an indicator of cardiovascular disease, there’s been little evidence until now to prove that arterial damage can actually begin with snoring.
What these results mean
So what are the medical implications of the Henry Ford study? Let’s review coronary artery disease for a moment. Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as atherosclerosis, occurs when waxy plaque builds up on the inner walls of the arteries.
Over time, the arterial walls thicken and stiffen, restricting blood flow to the heart and/or brain. It is commonly know that CAD is a precursor to conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
The results of the Henry Ford study—that the carotid arteries had thickened among the snorers, is important to pay attention to because it means that snoring, not just OSA, is a high risk factor for coronary artery disease, heart disease, and other related conditions.
Drs. Deeb and Yaremchuk’s research is groundbreaking because arterial blockage and other forms of heart disease are usually detected only after significant permanent damage has been done.
This new research should encourage snorers—and those who love them—to visit a doctor to discuss cardiovascular health and stroke prevention, and get properly diagnosed and treated.
The research is clear that doctors should add snoring to the list of coronary artery disease risk factors, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and family history. Perhaps if patients and their doctors considered snoring a serious health threat and treated it accordingly, there would be a great reduction in heart disease.
