Hypertension and sleep-related breathing disorders

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common health disorder with an estimated preva lence of 3% in the adult population. Acute rises in blood pressure coincidi ng with obstructive apneas during sleep are well described and explain the findings of a non-dipping during the night in 24-hour blood pressure record ings and a left ventricular hypertrophy independent of daytime hypertension . Furthermore, epidemiological studies could a strong association between s leep apnea and daytime hypertension, even after correction for other risk f actors like age, body mass index, and gender. Therefore, obstructive sleep apnea should be considered in patients with document obstructive refractory hypertension and in those with a non-dipping during the night in 24-hour b lood pressure recordings and clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of this sleep-related breathing disorder.