Search

Objective: It is known that a number of different drugs influence respiration. We hypothesised that certain drugs affect central or obstructive sleep apnoea in patients who have experienced a stroke. The aim of this study was to analyse the possible influence of drugs in this group of patients. Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study in a stroke rehabilitation unit. Study Participants: 132 patients (78 women and 54 men) consecutively admitted to a stroke rehabilitation unit, with a mean age of 77 ± 8 years. Main Outcome Measures: All patients underwent a brain computer tomography scan in the acute phase after the stroke. Overnight respiratory sleep recordings were performed on all patients 23 ± 7 days after experiencing a stroke. Medications were analysed at the time of the overnight respiratory sleep recordings. The number of central and obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea indices per hour of sleep was measured. Results: Both short- and long-acting calcium antagonists demonstrated a strong association with central apnoeas [short-acting B-value = 15.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.6 to 24.8, p < 0.002; long-acting B-value = 10.05, 95% CI 3.7 to 16.4, p < 0.002]. This association was independent of hypertension, angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias. Oral estriol (estrogen) was negatively associated with central sleep apnoeas (B-value = -9.19, 95 % CI -15.4 to -3.0, p < 0.004). Antiepileptic drugs had the strongest association with obstructive apnoeas (B-value = 10.37, 95% CI 2.0 to 18.7, p < 0.016). Conclusions: Both short- and long-acting calcium antagonists were associated with central apnoeas-hypopnoeas, and antiepileptic drugs with obstructive apnoeas-hypopnoeas in stroke patients. However, the clinical significance of these findings is unclear and future studies are needed to elucidate a possible cause and effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]