Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome as a risk factor for hypertension: population study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether sleep apnoea syndrome is an independent risk factor for hypertension.


METHODS
Population study.


METHODS
Sleep clinic in Toronto.


METHODS
2,677 adults, aged 20-85 years, referred to the sleep clinic with suspected sleep apnoea syndrome.


METHODS
Medical history, demographic data, morning and evening blood pressure, and whole night polysomnography.


RESULTS
Blood pressure and number of patients with hypertension increased linearly with severity of sleep apnoea, as shown by the apnoea-hypopnoea index. Multiple regression analysis of blood pressure levels of all patients not taking antihypertensives showed that apnoea was a significant predictor of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after adjustment for age, body mass index, and sex. Multiple logistic regression showed that each additional apnoeic event per hour of sleep increased the odds of hypertension by about 1%, whereas each 10% decrease in nocturnal oxygen saturation increased the odds by 13%.


CONCLUSIONS
Sleep apnoea syndrome is profoundly associated with hypertension independent of all relevant risk factors.
Lavie
P
P
Sleep Laboratory, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. plavie@techunix.technion.ac.il
Herer
P
P
Hoffstein
V
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*