Objective
This study aimed to prospectively examine the impact of chronic vs pregnancy-onset
habitual snoring on gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes.
Study Design
Third-trimester pregnant women were recruited from a large, tertiary medical center
from March 2007 through December 2010 and screened for the presence and duration of
habitual snoring, as a known marker for sleep-disordered breathing. Clinical diagnoses
of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes were obtained.
Results
Of 1719 pregnant women, 34% reported snoring, with 25% reporting pregnancy-onset snoring.
After adjusting for confounders, pregnancy-onset, but not chronic, snoring was independently
associated with gestational hypertension (odds ratio, 2.36; 95% confidence interval,
1.48–3.77; P < .001) and preeclampsia (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.37; P = .024) but not gestational diabetes.
Conclusion
New-onset snoring during pregnancy is a strong risk factor for gestational hypertension
and preeclampsia. In view of the significant morbidity and health care costs associated
with hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, simple screening of pregnant women may have
clinical utility.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: September 10, 2012
Accepted:
August 27,
2012
Received in revised form:
July 20,
2012
Received:
May 6,
2012
Footnotes
L.M.O. has received equipment support from Philips Respironics Inc and has served on an advisory board for GlaxoSmithKline. R.D.C. receives educational grants from Philips Respironics Inc and Fisher Paykel Inc ; is named in patents owned by the University of Michigan for signal analysis diagnostic algorithms and hardware relevant to the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders; and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The other authors report no potential conflict of interest.
Cite this article as: O'Brien LM, Bullough AS, Owusu JT, et al. Pregnancy-onset habitual snoring, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia: prospective cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2012;207:487.e1-9.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Pregnancy-onset habitual snoring, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia: prospective cohort studyAmerican Journal of Obstetrics & GynecologyVol. 208Issue 6
- PreviewI commend O'Brien et al1 for drawing attention to a potentially dangerous yet overlooked clinical condition in pregnancy in the article entitled, “Pregnancy-onset habitual snoring, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia: prospective cohort study.” Particularly interesting is the observation that pregnancy-onset habitual snoring or what I term “gestational obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)” may be more problematic then superimposed OSA. The opportunity for intervention trials to determine a treatment effect on pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia is evident; however, the results of such trials should not cloud the fact that, once the patient with snoring is diagnosed definitively with clinically significant OSA, she should be treated effectively.
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