UC San Diego

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), yet these conditions have not been well characterized in developing countries; this includes Mozambique, a sub-Saharan African country. Diagnosing SDB in individuals with CHF is important because, in theory, treating SDB in these patients may improve symptoms associated with and caused by CHF.

Between September of 2014 and April of 2017, 159 hospitalized patients with acute congestive heart failure were referred to the Maputo specialized cardiology unit and consecutively enrolled, utilizing a convenience sampling method, in a cross-sectional observation study in Mozambique, East Africa. Based on inclusion criteria, we analyzed the occurrence of SDB and associated risk factors in 153 patients with CHF (64 male, 95 female) in the Mozambique hospitalized patient population.

The overall occurrence of SDB in patients with CHF was 66.0%. Of patients with SDB, those with central sleep apnea were 67.3%. Males were 27% more likely to have SDB than females; no differences in age. Furthermore, those with a low left ventricular ejection fraction (below 55%) were 4.7 times more likely to have SDB, compared to those who did not. More specifically, those with a low left ventricular ejection fraction were more likely to have central sleep apnea, compared to those that do not.

We conclude that demographic and background information, supplemented by a few simple laboratory tests, may allow physicians to screen for SDB conditions in patients with CHF, and the need for the development of diagnostic tools for this patient population in Mozambique.