Abstract

The question remains whether transmitted snoring vibration energy promotes atherosclerotic plaque formation or rupture of an existing plaque in the carotid arteries. We examined the association between objective snoring time and carotid atherosclerosis determined by intima-to-media thinckness (IMT) and the presence of plaque in a population-based cohort of Korean adults. Three hundred and forty men and 373 women underwent a home-based sleep study using a portable sleep monitoring device (T3^TM). We measured snoring objectively using a built-in microphone and calculated snoring time across the night by dividing total duration of 3 or more consecutive snore events by total sleep time. The apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep, was used to indicate severity of OSA. Mean IMT and the presence of plaque on common carotid arteries were measured by ultrasound. Age, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), plasma level of total cholesterol, and medications for hypertension and dislipidemia were included as covariates in multiple linear and logistic regression models. In women, age, BMI, BP, and AHI significantly (all p<.05) aligned with increased carotid IMT; snoring time had a borderline relationship with mean IMT (ß=-0.001, p=0.07). An increase of 10% in snoring time was significantly (p=0.03) associated with an decrease in the odds of plaque (OR [95% CI] = 0.70 [0.51-0.97]). In men, snoring and AHI were not significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the inverse relationship between snoring and the prevalence of plaque in women as well as the mechanisms of the gender difference.