Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 May 10:5:43-52.
doi: 10.2147/NSS.S34841. Print 2013.

Hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea

Craig L Phillips  1 , Denise M O'Driscoll
Affiliations

Hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea

Craig L Phillips et al. Nat Sci Sleep. .

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly being recognized as a major health burden with strong focus on the associated cardiovascular risk. Studies from the last two decades have provided strong evidence for a causal role of OSA in the development of systemic hypertension. The acute physiological changes that occur during apnea promote nocturnal hypertension and may lead to the development of sustained daytime hypertension via the pathways of sympathetic activation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. This review will focus on the acute hemodynamic disturbances and associated intermittent hypoxia that characterize OSA and the potential pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the development of hypertension in OSA. In addition the epidemiology of OSA and hypertension, as well as the role of treatment of OSA, in improving blood pressure control will be examined.

Keywords: ambulatory blood pressure; hypertension; intermittent hypoxia; obstructive sleep apnea; sympathetic activation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram showing the pathophysiological mechanisms linking obstructive sleep apnea with the development of hypertension.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Epstein LJ, Kristo D, Strollo PJ, Jr, et al. Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Clinical guideline for the evaluation, management and long-term care of obstructive sleep apnea in adults. J Clin Sleep Med. 2009;15:5(3):263–276. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Punjabi NM, Caffo BS, Goodwin JL, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing and mortality: a prospective cohort study. PLoS Med. 2009;6(8):e1000132. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ebert CS, Drake AF. The impact of sleep-disordered breathing on cognition and behavior in children: a review and meta-synthesis of the literature. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;131(6):814–826. - PubMed
    1. Trinder J, Kleiman J, Carrington M, et al. Autonomic activity during human sleep as a function of time and sleep stage. J Sleep Res. 2001;10(4):253–264. - PubMed
    1. Ohkubo T, Hozawa A, Nagai K, et al. Prediction of stroke by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring versus screening blood pressure measurements in a general population: the Ohasama study. J Hypertens. 2000;18(7):847–854. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources