Atrial fibrillation is associated with severe sleep-disordered breathing in patients with ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack

Background and purpose Sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease. We investigated the frequency of SDB in Japanese patients with acute ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA), as well as factors associated with SDB severity. Methods Between April 2010 and March 2011, we prospectively enrolled patients with ischaemic stroke and TIA within 24 h of onset to participate in a sleep study within 7 days of admission. We defined SDB as a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) (number of apnoeas or hypopnoeas per hour) of ≥5. Patients were assigned to groups based on RDI values of ≥30 (severe) and