OSA Affects BP in Dose-Response Association

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common among patients with resistant hypertension (RH), and severe OSA affects blood pressure (BP) the most, according to new research.

To conduct their study, the researchers recruited consecutive patients with RH from 3 countries. All participants underwent a formal sleep test and blood pressure measurements, including 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

OSA was defined by apnea-hypopnea index score of 5 or more events per hour.

Of the 284 participants included in the analysis, 83.5% had OSA, 31.7% had mild OSA, 25.7% had moderate OSA, and 26.1% had severe OSA.

Compared with others with OSA, participants with severe OSA had higher BP values and had a higher adjusted effect of 5.72 mm Hg on nighttime BP.

Although the prevalence of severe OSA was slightly higher among uncontrolled participants, this finding was not statistically significant.

“The present study confirms the high prevalence of OSA in participants with RH,” the researchers concluded. “Furthermore, it shows a dose-response association between OSA severity and BP measurements, especially in the nighttime.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Sapiña-Beltrán E, Torres G, Benitez I, et al. Prevalence, characteristics, and association of obstructive sleep apnea with blood pressure control in patients with resistant hypertension. Ann Am Thoracic Soc. 2019;16(11):1414-1421. https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201901-053OC.