Sleep-Disordered Breathing by AHI in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure at CNHU-HKM in Cotonou: Frequency and Associated Factors

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and associated factors among patients hospitalized for heart failure at the Cardiology University Clinic of CNHU-HKM in Cotonou. Method and patients: This was an analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection conducted over 7 months. It included, by exhaustive enrolment, all patients over 18 years old, regardless of sex, admitted to the hospital with heart failure. The variables studied were the presence or absence of a SDB and associated factors. SDB was considered if the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was ≥5. Results: Fifty patients were included. The mean age was 59.26 ± 16.0 and the sex-ratio was 1.5. The in-hospital incidence of SDB was 76% (38 cases) and 44% of whom were moderate to severe forms. Associated factors were abdominal obesity (p = 0.019) and poor sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ≥ 5 (p = 0.03). Conclusion: SDB appears to be frequent in patients with heart failure. There are certainly other associated factors to be identified in studies involving a more representative sample.