The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is high in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Typical symptoms like daytime sleepiness can be absent and those patients may report unspecific, therapy-resistant symptoms related to their underlying disease. Particularly sleep-related symptoms like nocturia, nocturnal dyspnea and pectangina can be present. Based on the results of recently published studies, the treatment of central sleep apnea in patients with symptomatic, systolic heart failure by adaptive servo-ventilation is no longer recommended. Although the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea did not prevent cardiovascular events, it improved snoring, daytime sleepiness and health-related quality of life. Furthermore, studies imply that treatment of SDB should be considered as an adjunct treatment modality in patients with hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Due to the high prevalence, screening for SDB can help to identify patients at high cardiovascular risk.
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