Periodic limb movements during sleep independent risk factor for CVD, suggests study

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2024-05-30T20:00:27+05:30 | Updated On 31 May 2024 11:49 AM IST

A recent study published in Journal of the American Heart Association uncovered periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMI) as the new independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The findings suggest that PLMI pose significant threat to cardiovascular health, even among individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) rates below 30 events per hour.

The study was conducted over a median follow-up of 5.1 years and focused on the relationship between PLMI, OSA (measured by apnea-hypopnea index or AHI) and the occurrence of incident CVD or mortality. Unadjusted analyses revealed a significant increase in the risk of the primary outcome with each 10-event per hour rise in both PLMI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08) and AHI (HR 1.17). The outcomes of the study found no significant interaction between PLMI and AHI when assessing their combined impact on the primary outcome.

After adjusting for various factors such as the age, sex, race/ethnicity, obesity, baseline risk of mortality and Charlson Comorbidity Index were considered for analysis where PLMI emerged as a strong independent risk factor. The HR for the primary outcome was 1.05 for every 10 events per hour increase in PLMI where AHI did not maintain a significant association. Even after adjusting with the Framingham risk score the PLMI remained a significant contributor to the increased risk of CVD or mortality.

The study highlighting the significance of PLMI as a major risk factor for CVD events or mortality challenging the previous assumptions, particularly among individuals with AHI rates below 30 events per hour. Further research and clinical attention to periodic limb movements during sleep, opens new ways for understanding and addressing cardiovascular risks in sleep disorders.

Reference:

Zinchuk, A., Srivali, N., Qin, L., Jeon, S., Ibrahim, A., Sands, S. A., Koo, B., & Yaggi, H. K. (2024). Association of Periodic Limb Movements and Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality. In Journal of the American Heart Association. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.123.031630

Journal of the American Heart AssociationPeriodic limb movementscardiovascular mortality

Source : Journal of the American Heart Association

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751