Juan Pablo Díaz de Ávila
	
                                                                                                            
Spain                                    	
                                    
 Rapid Communication
                                                                        Severity of the Apnea-Hypopnea Sleep Syndrome in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Spondyloarthropathies. Modulation of the Sleep Apnea Index with Anti-TNF-α Inhibitors                                     
Author(s): Miguel Cantalejo Moreira, Rául María Veiga Cabello, Juan Pablo Díaz de Ávila and Miguel Ángel Racionero CaseroMiguel Cantalejo Moreira, Rául María Veiga Cabello, Juan Pablo Díaz de Ávila and Miguel Ángel Racionero Casero             
                                    
                                                                        
                             Objective: To evaluate severity of the sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthropathies (SpA). To study the behavior of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in patients treated with anti-TNF-α.
Materials and methods: An observational, retrospective study was conducted in patients with RA and SpA (study group) and with osteoarthritis (control group) who have SAHS symptoms. AHI (expressed in median and 25- 75 percentiles), mean oxygen saturation (SaO2 ) and information on associated cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) were collected. This information was also collected in the anti-TNF-α treated study group.
Results: The study group (75 patients [48 with RA and 27 with SpA], 36 men) were younger (53.1 ± 10.6 vs. 57.2 ± 9.6 years, p=.. View More»