Research published in Respirology suggests that sleep apnea may increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease to a similar extent as hypertension.

Researchers analyzed information from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 and 2010 concerning 43,434 individuals, including 8687 with sleep apnea.

Over an average follow-up of 3.9 years, the risk of developing chronic kidney disease was 58% higher among adults with sleep apnea than in other adults, after adjusting for individuals’ demographic and clinical characteristics.