Resistant Hypertension May Up Sleep Apnea Risk

Among adults with hypertension, resistant hypertension (RH) is associated with increased risk of sleep apnea, according to a study published online July 18 in Respirology.

HealthDay News — Among adults with hypertension, resistant hypertension (RH) is associated with increased risk of sleep apnea, according to a study published online in Respirology.

Simran K. Bhandari, MD, from the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 470,386 adults with hypertension within an integrated health system. The authors determined the rates of sleep apnea in RH and non-RH patients.

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The researchers identified sleep apnea in 7.2% of adults with hypertension. Sleep apnea occurred in 9.6% of those with RH and in 6.8% of those with non-RH. The multivariable odds ratios were 1.16, 3.57, and 2.20 for sleep apnea in RH versus non-RH, body mass index ≥30 kg/m², and males, respectively. Sleep apnea in RH had a multivariable adjusted hazard ratio of 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.36) for ischemic heart disease; 1.43 (95% CI, 1.28 to 1.61) for congestive heart failure; 0.98 (95% CI, 0.85 to 1.12) for stroke; and 1.04 (95 percent CI, 0.95 to 1.14) for mortality, compared to sleep apnea in non-RA individuals.

“We observed a modest increase in likelihood for sleep apnea among RH compared to non-RH patients,” the authors write.

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