New data shows that young and middle-aged patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with PAP therapy may see a reduction in arterial tone and improvement in endothelial and diastolic function, reports Healio.
The researchers conducted a prospective, interventional study on the CV effects of positive airway pressure therapy and withdrawal in patients with normal BP. Eighty-four patients (77% men; mean age, 41 years) received overnight polysomnography or home sleep testing to determine their apnea-hypopnea index. At baseline, patients had a central aortic systolic BP of 115 mm Hg, a diastolic BP of 76.6 mm Hg and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea with a mean apnea-hypopnea index of 39.8 events/hour.
The results were simultaneously published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
According to the researchers, central systolic BP was 2.6 mm Hg lower at 4 weeks (P = .008) and 2.9 mm Hg lower after 12 weeks (P = .003). In addition, decreases in diastolic BP and mean BP (P < .001 for both), as well as in augmentation index (P < .001), peripheral pulse wave velocities (P = .003) and brachial artery dilation (P < .001), also were observed. By 12 weeks, there also were improvements in left ventricular diastolic function, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance (P < .004 for all).
