High Blood Pressure and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the clinical features in Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) patients with High Blood Pressure (HBP) Method: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. There were 164 subjects underwent respiratory polygraph in sleep lab, including 141 OSA patients who were divided into 2 groups: OSA-HBP (n=76) and OSA-non-HBP (n=65). Clinical and respiratory polygraphy characteristics of two groups were analyzed. Results: Two groups of patients did not differ significantly with regard to the main characteristics, including Body Mass Index (BMI), Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI). Systolic Blood Pressures (SBP) were higher in HBP patients (p=0.011). ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) was not significantly different between two groups. EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness) percentage was higher in OSA-HBP group than OSA-non-HBP group (p=0.024). SBP were correlated with desaturation time measured by respiratory polygraphy (p=0.024). Conclusion: In patients with OSA, the frequency of EDS was significantly higher in subjects with HBP. Hence, the daytime sleepiness may be used as a potential and relevant clinical symptom to screen HBP subjects with OSA.