The Link Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in the general population and highly prevalent in patients with cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we review (1) the pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA that may causally contribute to cardiovascular disease; (2) current evidence regarding the association...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current atherosclerosis reports 2016, Vol.18 (1), p.1-1, Article 1
Main Authors: Bauters, Fré, Rietzschel, Ernst R., Hertegonne, Katrien B. C., Chirinos, Julio A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiology
Animals
Cardiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Comorbidity
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Coronary Heart Disease (S. Virani and S. Naderi
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Obesity - complications
Risk Factors
Section Editors
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - epidemiology
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - etiology
Topical Collection on Coronary Heart Disease
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Summary:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in the general population and highly prevalent in patients with cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we review (1) the pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA that may causally contribute to cardiovascular disease; (2) current evidence regarding the association between OSA and hypertension, stroke, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular mortality; and (3) the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes. We emphasize the importance of obesity as a comorbidity of OSA and a confounder in the association between OSA and cardiovascular disease. We also discuss the importance of addressing obesity in patients with OSA, as a strategy to reduce the burden of cardiovascular risk factors in this population. Implications for the approach of patients’ OSA in clinical practice and future research directions are discussed.
ISSN:1523-3804
1534-6242
DOI:10.1007/s11883-015-0556-z