Sleep Medicine
Volume 10, Issue 1 , Pages 112-117, January 2009

Snoring and witnessed sleep apnea is related to diabetes mellitus in women

  • Fredrik Valham

      Affiliations

    • Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +46 907850000; fax: +46 90772081.
    • ,
  • Birgitta Stegmayr

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • ,
  • Marie Eriksson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • ,
  • Erik Hägg

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • ,
  • Eva Lindberg

      Affiliations

    • Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
    • ,
  • Karl A Franklin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden
    • National Respiratory Center, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Karolinska Institute, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Received 7 May 2007; received in revised form 11 October 2007; accepted 11 November 2007.

Abstract 

Background

Gender differences in the relationship of snoring and diabetes mellitus are mainly unknown. We aimed to analyze the relationship between snoring, witnessed sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus and to analyze possible gender related differences in an unselected population.

Methods

Questions on snoring and witnessed sleep apneas were included in the Northern Sweden component of the WHO, MONICA study. Invited were 10,756 men and women aged 25–79 years, randomly selected from the population register.

Results

There were 7905 (73%) subjects, 4047 women and 3858 men who responded to the questionnaire and attended a visit for a physical examination. Habitual snoring was related to diabetes mellitus in women, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–2.44, p=0.041) independent of smoking, age, body mass index and waist circumference. Witnessed sleep apnea was also independently related to diabetes mellitus in women, with an adjusted OR=3.29 (95% CI 1.20–8.32, p=0.012). Neither snoring, nor witnessed sleep apneas were associated with diabetes mellitus among men, except for witnessed sleep apnea in men aged 25–54 years old. They had an adjusted OR=3.84 (95% CI 1.36–10.9, p=0.011) for diabetes mellitus.

Conclusions

Snoring and witnessed sleep apneas are related to diabetes mellitus in women. Witnessed sleep apnea is related to diabetes mellitus in men younger than 55 years old.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Sleep apnea, Snoring, Gender, Epidemiology, Population

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PII: S1389-9457(07)00417-0

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2007.11.005

Sleep Medicine
Volume 10, Issue 1 , Pages 112-117, January 2009

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