Effects of CPAP on "vascular" risk factors in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and arterial hypertension

Abstract

AY Litvin,1 ZN Sukmarova,1 EM Elfimova,1 AV Aksenova,1 PV Galitsin,1 AN Rogoza,2 IE Chazova11Department of Systemic Hypertension, 2Department of New Methods of Diagnostics, Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, Ministry of Health, Moscow, Russian FederationBackground: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on arterial stiffness, central blood pressure, and reflected pulse wave characteristics in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and stage 2–3 arterial hypertension.Methods: Forty-four patients with hypertension and severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea index > 30) received stepped dose titration of antihypertensive treatment, consisting of valsartan 160 mg + amlodipine 5–10 mg + hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg. CPAP therapy was added after 3 weeks of continuous antihypertensive treatment with BP 12 msec) persisted in 35% of patients on antihypertensive treatment and effective CPAP, in 56% of patients on antihypertensive treatment alone, and in 53% of patients on placebo CPAP. Only the combination of antihypertensive treatment with effective CPAP achieved a significant reduction in augmentation index and AASI, along with a further reduction in aortic and brachial BP.Conclusion: Effective CPAP for 3 weeks resulted in a significant additional decrease in office BP, ambulatory BP monitoring, central BP, and augmentation index, together with an improvement in arterial stiffness parameters, ie, cfPWV and AASI, in a group of hypertensive patients with OSA.Keywords: antihypertensive therapy, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity