title: Intermittent hypoxia and vascular function: implications for obstructive sleep apnoea.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of hypertension, stroke and myocardial infarction. The main cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in OSA is thought to be exposure to intermittent hypoxia, which can lead to oxidative stress, inflammation, atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. These proposed mechanisms have been drawn from basic research in animal and human models of intermittent hypoxia in addition to clinical investigation of patients with OSA. This review outlines the association between OSA and vascular disease, describes basic mechanisms that may be responsible for this association and compares the results from studies of OSA subjects with those in experimental models of intermittent hypoxia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Health Sciences Center, Room 1421, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Glen E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Marc J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Poulin
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hanly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014661:Vasoconstriction; D014664:Vasodilation; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology*