Long QT Syndrome and Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with cardiac repolarization abnormalities and implicated in sudden cardiac death. A biologically plausible mechanism by which OSA exerts this lethality is by QT interval prolongation, a known marker of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTA) leading to cardiac death. Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a familial arrhythmogenic disorder characterized by prolonged QT interval on the electrocardiogram and increased propensity for VTA. Preliminary data identify an association of the extent of severity of OSA and progressive prolongation of the corrected QT interval in LQTS.