Somers VK
Sleep apnea and sympathetic function
11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
Am J Hypert
(Apr) 9:180A 1996
Sleep generally lowers blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic nervous
system (SNS) activity. In patients with obstructive sleep apnea, BP
and SNS activity are high even when awake, and both increase further
during sleep. Increases in BP and SNS activity appear to be
associated with the severity of sleep apnea, and treatment with
continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) results in dramatic
decreases in BP and SNS activity. Long term treatment appears to
lower BP and SNS activity even during wakefulness.
Comment: Sleep apnea is commonly found in
hypertensives and is associated with increased cardiovascular
morbidity and mortality. Treatment with CPAP improves symptoms, and
some reports have suggested that blood pressure control improves, as
marked by lower BP and lesser medication requirements. The SNS is
thought to mediate most of the increase in BP in patients with sleep
apnea, and this report confirms, using direct neuronal recording
techniques, that changes in BP are paralleled by changes in SNS
activity.
(Alan Weder, M.D., University of Michigan)
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11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
H: Pathophysiology :
Sleep, sleep apnea
H: Pathophysiology :
Sympathetic nervous system