title: The relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea and coronary heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have provided evidence that severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) may warrant inclusion in the list of coronary heart disease (CHD) equivalents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data within the past 12 months provide insight into complex issues. Specifically, OSA was shown to play an important role in the development of inflammation and atherosclerosis, but its effects on endothelial dysfunction were equivocal. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment was linked with significant improvements in heart function, blood pressure and total cholesterol, but the effect was not always the most significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At present, caution is warranted in the interpretation of results. In the future, data from randomized controlled trials with longer duration are expected to shed more light on the relationship between CHD and OSA and on what can be expected from CPAP regarding CHD risk factors.
authors.affiliation: aOutpatient Clinic of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism, Second Department of Internal Medicine bDepartment of Pneumonology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Kalliopi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pafili
authors.forename: Paschalis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steiropoulos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papanas
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology