Having sleep apnea may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a report from Taiwan.

Researchers analyzed data from 2000 through 2010 on 8,600 adults diagnosed with sleep apnea and four times as many adults of similar age, sex and monthly income without sleep apnea, using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database.

They found 157 new cases of chronic kidney disease among people with sleep apnea and 298 cases in the comparison group, according to Yung-Tai Chen of Taipei City Hospital Heping Fuyou Branch in Taiwan and coauthors.

After taking other health factors into account, sleep apnea increased the risk of kidney disease by 58%. By comparison, hypertension (a known risk factor for kidney disease) increased the risk by 17%. Diabetes was a stronger predictor than both other factors, more than doubling the risk of kidney disease, the research team reported online February 1 in Respirology.