Prognostic Impact of Sleep Apnea on Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality, in End Stage Renal Disease Patients

Sleep apnea is more prevalent in end stage renal disease patients than in the general population, and may participate to the increased cardiovascular mortality observed in this group of patients. Despite a significant increase in knowledge about the harmful effects of obstructive sleep apnea in the general population, the prognostic impact of sleep apnea in the end stage renal disease population has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the hypothesis that moderate to severe sleep apnea increase the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with end stage renal disease. The severity of sleep apnea is measured at inclusion and the patients are followed during 3 years to assess the cardiovascular end-points. The result of the sleep study is communicated to the treating physician and the decision whether to treat or not sleep apnea is left to the treating physician, independently of the study protocol. The comparison will include three groups: patients without sleep apnea, untreated patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea and treated patients with sleep apnea.