PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND CIRCADIAN BLOOD-PRESSURE RHYTHM IN SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) has developed during the past years as a we ll defined disease. The prognosis of SAS-patients is deteriorated by a ccompanied cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension with often disturbed blood pressure rhythm is one of them. We investigated 70 SAS-patients of a clinic for rehabilitation and diagnosed hypertension in 57% of al l cases with increasing prevalence depending on severeness of SAS. Blo od pressure rhythm was disturbed (non-dippers) in 42% of investigated cases independent of severeness of SAS. This underlines the prognostic value of all grades of SAS. On the other hand we want to emphasize, t hat screening on SAS cannot be well done by 24-hour blood pressure mon itoring.