MedWire News: Stoke survivors who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea have a shorter life expectancy than those without the sleep disorder, researchers have found.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition in which sufferers experience temporary disruptions in their breathing during sleep. People with the disorder typically snore, wake often during the night and feel tired during the day.

The most effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea is called continuous positive airway pressure. This involves patients wearing a mask through which a constant flow of air is pumped by a machine to keep their airways open during sleep.

"Sleep apnoea occurs frequently among patients with stroke," explain Karl Franklin, from University Hospital Umeå in Sweden, and colleagues. "But it is still unknown whether a diagnosis of sleep apnoea is an independent risk factor for mortality."

The researchers therefore studied 132 stroke patients who were receiving rehabilitation treatment. All the participants underwent tests for obstructive sleep apnoea an average of 23 days after suffering their stroke.

Over the next 10 years, 116 of the participants died.

Analysis revealed that the 23 stroke patients who suffered from obstructive sleep apnoea were 76% more likely to die over the 10-year monitoring period than those who did not have the sleep disorder.

The effect of obstructive sleep apnoea on the stroke patients' life expectancy was independent of their age, body mass index, smoking habits and blood pressure levels.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr Franklin and team conclude: "Patients with stroke and obstructive sleep apnoea run an increased risk of early death."

They add: "It seems reasonable to suggest that sleep apnoea recordings should be performed in patients with stroke and that continuous positive airway pressure should be offered to those with obstructive sleep apnoea."