Impaired vascular regulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation has been documented in patients with sleep apnea. This impairment may result in blood flow dysregulation during apnea-induced fluctuations in arterial blood gases.

Objectives

To test the hypothesis that hypoxic and hypercapnic vasodilation in the forearm and cerebral circulation are impaired in patients with sleep apnea.

Methods

We exposed 20 patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea and 20 control subjects, to isocapnic hypoxia and hyperoxic hypercapnia. A subset of 14 patients was restudied after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure.

Measurements and main results

Cerebral flow velocity (transcranial Doppler), forearm blood flow (venous occlusion plethysmography), arterial pressure (automat

SUBMITTER: Reichmuth KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2784418 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature