Named the non-obvious cause of premature heart aging

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea can significantly accelerate aging of the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of premature death. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. The work is published in the journal npj Aging.

Scientists used a long-term experimental mouse model that reproduces episodes of periodic decrease in blood oxygen levels during sleep, characteristic of sleep apnea. This regimen mimics the condition in which a person's breathing during sleep is regularly interrupted, causing short-term hypoxia.

Observations showed that prolonged exposure to intermittent hypoxia led to significantly higher mortality compared to animals breathing normal air. At the same time, the subjects developed signs of accelerated cardiovascular aging: increased blood pressure, deteriorated heart function, reduced vascular elasticity, impaired coronary blood flow, and changes in the electrical activity of the myocardium.

According to one of the study's authors, University of Missouri Professor Mohammad Badran, the consequences of sleep apnea go far beyond poor sleep quality. Chronic physiological stress caused by recurring oxygen deprivation accumulates and over time fundamentally changes the structure and function of the cardiovascular system, accelerating biological aging and increasing the risk of death.

The research leader David Gozal noted that, although clinical data has long linked sleep apnea to cardiovascular disease, the experimental model made it possible to track these effects throughout life and without the influence of confounding factors. This, according to him, makes the conclusion unambiguous: untreated sleep apnea is not a harmless condition, but a progressive disease with potentially fatal consequences.

The authors emphasize that the results are especially important for regions with high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and undiagnosed sleep apnea. Early diagnosis and timely treatment can play a key role in reducing long-term risks to the heart and increasing life expectancy.