CIRCULATING ENDOTHELIN-1 IN OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA

Endothelin (ET)-1 is a potent vasoconstrictive and mitogenic peptide p roduced by endothelial cells and degraded predominantly in pulmonary v asculature. We measured ET-1 in 9 normotensive and 14 hypertensive men with obstructive sleep apnea. The ET-1 levels were higher in both nor motensive (mean +/- SD, 6.3 +/- 2.8 pg/ml) and hypertensive (7.8 +/- 3 .0 pg/ml) groups than in 66 healthy controls (2.9 +/- 1.2 pg/ml). Ten patients were restudied after three months of nCPAP treatment. No decr ease in ET-1 was observed.