Refractory hypertension and sleep apnoea: effect of CPAP on blood pressure and baroreflex.

This study was undertaken to determine whether abolition of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) could reduce blood pressure (BP) in patients with refractory hypertension. In 11 refractory hypertensive patients with OSA, the acute effects of CPAP on nocturnal BP were studied during sleep and its longer term effects on 24-h ambulatory BP after 2 months. During a single night's application, CPAP abolished OSA and reduced systolic BP in stage 2 sleep from 138.3 +/- 6.8 to 126.0 +/- 6.3 mmHg. There was also a trend towards a reduction in average diastolic BP (from 77.7 +/- 4.5 to 72.9 +/- 4.5). CPAP usage for 2 months was accompanied by an 11.0 +/- 4.4 mmHg reduction in 24-h systolic BP. In addition, both the nocturnal and daytime components of systolic BP fell significantly by 14.4 +/- 4.4 and 9.3 +/- 3.9 mmHg, respectively. Diastolic BP was reduced significantly at night by 7.8 +/- 3.0 mmHg. In patients with refractory hypertension, acute abolition of obstructive sleep apnoea by continuous positive airway pressure reduces nocturnal blood pressure. These data also suggest that continuous positive airway pressure may reduce nocturnal and daytime systolic blood pressure chronically. Randomised trials are needed to confirm the latter results.

High prevalence of unrecognized sleep apnoea in drug-resistant hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in adult patients with drug-resistant hypertension, a common problem in a tertiary care facility. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University hypertension clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adults with drug-resistant hypertension, defined as a clinic blood pressure of > or = 140/90 mmHg, while taking a sensible combination of three or more antihypertensive drugs, titrated to maximally recommended doses. Each of the 41 participants completed an overnight polysomnographic study and all but two had a 24 h ambulatory blood pressure measurement. RESULTS: Prevalence of OSA, defined as an apnoea-hypopnoea index of > or = 10 obstructive events per hour of sleep, was 83% in the 24 men and 17 women studied. Patients were generally late middle-aged (57.2 +/- 1.6 years, mean +/- SE), predominantly white (85%), obese (body mass index, 34.0 +/- 0.9 kg/m2) and taking a mean of 3.6 +/- 0.1 different antihypertensive medications daily. OSA was more prevalent in men than in women (96 versus 65%, P = 0.014) and more severe (mean apnoea-hypopnoea index of 32.2 +/- 4.5 versus 14.0 +/- 3.1 events/h, P = 0.004). There was no gender difference in body mass index or age. Women with OSA were significantly older and had a higher systolic blood pressure, lower diastolic blood pressure, wider pulse pressure and slower heart rate than women without OSA. CONCLUSIONS: The extraordinarily high prevalence of OSA in these patients supports its potential role in the pathogenesis of drug-resistant hypertension, and justifies the undertaking of a randomized controlled trial to corroborate this hypothesis.