Non-REM apnea and hypopnea duration varies across population groups and physiologic traits

Rationale: Symptoms and morbidities associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) vary across individuals and are not predicted by the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI). Respiratory event duration is a heritable trait associated with mortality that may further characterize OSA. Objectives: We evaluated how hypopnea and apnea durations in non-REM (NREM) sleep vary across demographic groups and quantified their associations with physiological traits (loop gain, arousal threshold, circulatory delay, and pharyngeal collapsibility). Methods: Data were analyzed from 1,546 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis with an AHI >5. Physiological traits were derived using a validated model fit to the polysomnographic airflow signal. Multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate associations of event duration with demographic and physiological factors. Measurements and Main Results: Participants had a mean age ± SD of 68.9 ± 9.2 years, mean NREM hypopnea duration of 21.73 ± 5.60, and mean NREM apnea duration of 23.87 ± 7.44 seconds. In adjusted analyses, shorter events were associated with younger age, female sex, higher body mass index (P < 0.01, all), and Black race (P < 0.05). Longer events were associated with Asian race (P < 0.01). Shorter event durations were associated with lower circulatory delay (2.53 ± 0.13 s, P < 0.01), lower arousal threshold (1.39 ± 0.15 s, P < 0.01), reduced collapsibility (20.71 ± 0.16 s, P < 0.01), and higher loop gain (20.27 ± 0.11 s, P < 0.05) per SD change. Adjustment for physiological traits attenuated age, sex, and obesity associations and eliminated racial differences in event duration. Conclusions: Average event duration varies across population groups and provides information on ventilatory features and airway collapsibility not captured by the AHI.