Sleep apnoea therapy cuts heart risk
Wednesday November 26th, 2008
Treating patients for sleep apnoea can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease, new research has found.
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome causes snoring, disturbed sleep, and pauses in breathing. It affects up to four per cent of adults and is becoming more common as average bodyweight rises. The condition has been linked to several risk factors for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, stroke and ischaemic heart disease.
Researchers led by Dr Malcolm Kohler of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxford, UK, investigated whether giving patients a treatment called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) could reduce their heart risk. This is a widely-used method of respiratory ventilation in which a machine delivers compressed air to keep the airway open and allow unobstructed breathing.
They gave 102 male patients either "real" or "sham" treatment for four weeks. At the end of the study, the treated patients showed several beneficial responses. Their sympathetic nerve activity was reduced by more than a quarter, their arterial stiffness dropped by a third, and their blood pressure fell.
In the European Respiratory Journal, the authors write: "This study suggests that treatment with CPAP may have a positive impact on patient's survival by effectively reducing a number of well-established risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
"It may lower cardiovascular risk by reducing sympathetic nerve activity, ambulatory blood pressure and arterial stiffness and by increasing sensitivity of the arterial baroreflex."
The team found in previous studies that this treatment can also substantially improve daytime symptoms such as sleepiness and alertness, and improve quality of life for patients and their bed partners.
Kohler, M. et al. CPAP and measures of cardiovascular risk in males with OSAS. The European Respiratory Journal, Vol. 32, December 2008, pp. 1488-96.
Siccoli, M. M. et al. Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on quality of life in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea: data from a randomized controlled trial. Sleep, Vol. 31, November 1, 2008, pp.1551-58.
Tags: Heart Health | UK News
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