Relationship between Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Prior studies suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), a common symptom of OSA, is less pronounced in patients with AF. This study focused on a subtype of OSA, positional OSA (POSA), and examined its association with EDS overall and separately in patients with and without AF. Methods: This study included 222 OSA patients with and without AF history who underwent in-lab polysomnography. POSA was defined using three criteria: conventional POSA (cPOSA; supine/non-supine apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ratio ≥ 2), intermediately conservative POSA (iPOSA; supine/non-supine AHI ratio ≥ 3), and exclusive POSA (ePOSA; supine/non-supine AHI ratio ≥ 2 and non-supine AHI < 5 events/h). EDS was determined by an Epworth Sleepiness Scale score ≥ 11. Logistic regression was performed to assess the associations. Results: Overall, 55.4% of patients had cPOSA, and 43.6% reported EDS. Analysis of the entire cohort showed that patients with cPOSA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.98) or iPOSA (aOR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18–0.74) had lower odds of EDS than their non-POSA counterparts. Among patients with AF, cPOSA was associated with lower odds of EDS (aOR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11–0.90). Among patients without AF, iPOSA was associated with lower odds of EDS (aOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10–0.75). Conclusion: The association between POSA and EDS varied by POSA definitions and AF status. The findings suggest that EDS manifests differently by cPOSA status in patients with AF.