title: Sleep apnoea and hypertension.
abstract: This review article provides an update on two major issues. First, the most recent evidence supporting the occurrence of an association between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, or more generally sleep-disordered breathing, and arterial hypertension in humans is summarized and discussed. This includes an evaluation of both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Second, new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the appearance of chronic hypertension in individuals suffering from recurrent nocturnal apnoeic episodes are provided, based both on experimental studies in animals and on clinical studies in humans. The relevance of these data for the clinical management of hypertensive patients with sleep-disordered breathing, and the possibility of obtaining a reduction in blood pressure through the application of nasal continuous positive air pressure, is also addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Prevention and Applied Biotechnology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. gianfranco.parati@unimib.it
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parati
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ongaro
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bonsignore
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Glavina
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Rienzo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy