Association between self-reported sleep apnea and albuminuria among middle age and elderly population: Results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The prevalence of both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and albuminuria increase with advanced age. The data on the association between OSA and albuminuria in subjects with advanced age were limited. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the association between sleep apnea (SA) and albuminuria in middle age and elderly population. Data on participants with age ≥ 40 years during 2005 to 2008 and 2015 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. SA was evaluated based on the sleep questionnaire and albuminuria was assessed by albumin-to-creatinine ratio. The independent relationship between SA and albuminuria was explored by using multivariate logistic regression. A total of 13,902 subjects with 11,788 cases of normoalbuminuria and 2114 cases of albuminuria were included for data analysis. The proportion of albuminuria increased as SA severity aggravation. Univariate logistic analysis showed that frequently SA was positively associated with albuminuria (OR = 1.301, 95% CI = 1.089-1.547, P = .003). In multivariate logistic analysis, frequently SA was independently associated with increased risk of albuminuria after adjusting for confounding factors (OR = 1.309, 95% CI = 1.010-1.683, P = .039). The present study suggested that self-reported frequently SA was independently associated with increased risk of albuminuria in middle age and elderly population.