Association between sleep‐disordered breathing and arterial stiffness in heart failure patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction

Abstract Aims Sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with arterial stiffness, which may be one of the factors that lead to heart failure (HF). We examined the relationship between pulse wave velocity (PWV) and SDB in patients who have HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods and results We measured the apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) by polysomnography, echocardiographic parameters, and PWV in 221 HF patients. Age, blood pressure, and PWV were higher in HFpEF (ejection fraction > 50%, n  = 70) patients than in HFrEF (ejection fraction < 50%, n  = 151) patients. All HF patients were divided into three groups according to AHI: none‐to‐mild SDB group (AHI < 15 times/h, n  = 77), moderate SDB group (15 < AHI < 30 times/h, n  = 59), and severe SDB group (AHI > 30 times/h, n  = 85). Although blood pressure and echocardiographic parameters did not differ among the three groups, PWV was significantly higher in the severe SDB group than in the none‐to‐mild and moderate SDB groups ( P  = 0.002). When the HFrEF and HFpEF patients were analysed separately, PWV was significantly higher in the severe SDB group than in the none‐to‐mild and moderate SDB groups in patients with HFpEF ( P  = 0.002), but not in those with HFrEF ( P  = 0.068). In the multiple regression analysis to determine PWV, the presence of severe SDB was found to be an independent predictor of high PWV in HFpEF (β = 0.234, P  = 0.005), but not in HFrEF patients. Conclusions Severe SDB is associated with elevated arterial stiffness and may be related to the pathophysiology of HF, especially in HFpEF patients.