THE SLEEP HEART HEALTH STUDY - DESIGN, RATIONALE, AND METHODS

The Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) is a prospective cohort study desi gned to investigate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep-diso rdered breathing (SDB) as risk factors for the development of cardiova scular disease. The study is designed to enroll 6,600 adult participan ts aged 40 years and older who will undergo a home polysomnogram to as sess the presence of OSA and other SDB. Participants in SHHS have been recruited from cohort studies in progress. Therefore, SHHS adds the a ssessment of OSA to the protocols of these studies and will use alread y collected data on the principal risk factors for cardiovascular dise ase as well as follow-up and outcome information pertaining to cardiov ascular disease. Parent cohort studies and recruitment targets for the se cohorts are the following: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Stud y (1,750 participants), Cardiovascular Health Study (1,350 participant s), Framingham Heart Study (1,000 participants), Strong Heart Study (6 00 participants), New York Hypertension Cohorts (1,000 participants), and Tucson Epidemiologic Study of Airways Obstructive Diseases and the Health and Environment Study (900 participants). As part of the paren t study follow-up procedures, participants will be surveyed at periodi c intervals for the incidence and recurrence of cardiovascular disease events. The study provides sufficient statistical power for assessing OSA and other SDB as risk factors for major cardiovascular events, in cluding myocardial infarction and stroke.