News - Hypertension Week of Jan. 19, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 03

Study: Treatment Helps Lower Blood Pressure in Sleep Apnea Patients

Sleep apnea patients treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) experienced significant reductions in their daytime blood pressure, according to a study reported in the current issue of Circulation.

CPAP is a standard therapy for obstructive sleep apnea. The treatment delivers air into a patient's airway through a specially designed nasal mask or pillows.

The American Heart Association estimates that 45 percent of people with hypertension have sleep disorders that affect breathing, while 83 percent of patients with drug resistant hypertension have these problems.

Specifically, researchers found that the treatment reduced mean blood pressure by 10mm of mercury in a group of such patients. Such a drop would reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 37 percent and stroke risk by 56 percent.

"Previous studies have shown only minor treatment effects due to methodological limitations," said Dr. Heinrich Becker, of Philipps-University in Marburg Germany. "Using continuous blood pressure measurement we were able to show a huge and highly clinically significant effect on blood pressure."

Other sources: Circulation. 2003;107:68