Study finds that sleep apnea therapy has positive impact on hypertensive patients

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/aaos-sft102816.php

Public Release: 28-Oct-2016
Study finds that sleep apnea therapy has positive impact on hypertensive patients
Patients reported improved daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms and fatigue
American Academy of Sleep Medicine

A new study shows that positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for sleep apnea may have a positive impact on sleep-related functional outcomes among patients who also suffer from hypertension. The findings suggest that untreated sleep apnea may explain the quality of life impairments reported by many patients with high blood pressure.

Results show consistent improvement of patient-reported outcomes in response to PAP therapy for sleep apnea in hypertensive patients. The study found significant improvement in daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms and fatigue severity within a year following treatment initiation. Results were significant even in patients with resistant hypertension.

"We found that consistently and notably there was no difference in patient-reported outcomes between resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension groups," said lead author Harneet Walia, MD, assistant professor of family medicine in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. "What we found was that the improvement in the patient-reported outcomes was more pronounced in those with objective adherence to PAP therapy."

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