Even mild sleep apnea increases cardiovascular risk

People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study in the November 2008 issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Their findings suggested that minimally symptomatic OSA is a cardiovascular risk factor to a degree not previously known.

"It was previously known that people with OSA severe enough to affect their daytime alertness and manifest in other ways are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but this finding suggests that many more people — some of whom may be completely unaware that they even have OSA — are at risk than previously thought," said lead author Malcolm Kohler, MD, Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom.

To determine the exact nature of some of these effects, Kohler and colleagues performed a controlled, cross-sectional study to assess differences in endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and blood pressure in 64 patients with minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea. Patients were matched with 15 control subjects without obstructive sleep apnea.

"In our study, the augmentation index, was significantly higher in patients with minimally symptomatic OSA compared with matched controls," said Kohler.

"We also found impaired endothelial function as indicated by decreased vascular reactivity of their arteries compared with control subjects without OSA," Kohler added.

The difference in arterial stiffness between obstructive sleep apnea patients and control subjects, Dr. Kohler said was "comparable in size to the effect seen after four weeks’ continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with moderate to severe symptomatic OSA."

This suggests that asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with OSA may enjoy a cardiovascular benefit from CPAP or BiPAP therapy.

Tell A Friend

1. Your Name(required)
2. Your Email(valid email required)
3. Your Friend's Name(required)
4. Your Friend's Email(valid email required)
5. Optional CommentAny comment you wish to add, such as a note as to why the person would be interested in the article.
6. Anti-SPAM Verification
7. Please verify you're a human. (Case-sensitive)
8. SmartBot Challenge
9. Spell the last work backwards: apnea
10. Terms of Use
11. By using Awake In America's contact form, I certify I am not attempting to send SPAM to Awake In America; that I am not using this service to stalk, harass, violate any Orders of Protection, or other court-ordered restraints from abuse or harassment; that I am not attempting to create a denial-of-service, or any other malicious or unwanted events from the perspective of others. I understand Awake In America's contact form is bound by this site's Terms of Service, as well as other policies, published or non-published, and that any abuse may result in criminal or civil prosecution.
    
12. I agree to Awake In America's Terms of Service for use of this contact form, as outlined in the statement (above).

 

cforms contact form by delicious:days

__________

Trackback URL for this post:
http://awakeinamerica.info/2008/health/cardiac/even-mild-sleep-apnea-increases-cardiovascular-risk/trackback/

Tagged as: bi-level positive airway pressure, BiPAP, blood pressure, continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP, daytime alertness, daytime sleepiness, decreased vascular activity, impaired endothelial function, increased arterial stiffness, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, mild sleep apnea, minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea