On September 23, a paper titled “Home Blood Pressure Trajectories During 6 Months of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy: Results from the eMEUSE-SANTE and SLEEPCONNECT Clinic” was published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society by Jean-Louis Pépin from the Grenoble University Hospital. The study revealed the long-term effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy on home blood pressure in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
This prospective cohort study included 98 OSA patients and analyzed a total of 36,600 home blood pressure measurements. The study found that during the first 6 months of CPAP therapy, both morning and evening systolic/diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased (p<0.05). Notably, morning blood pressure remained consistently higher than evening blood pressure (p<0.01), and the degree of blood pressure improvement varied among individuals.
The study also identified key factors affecting the hypotensive effects of CPAP: older age, weight gain during treatment, current smoking, and a history of hypertension were associated with limited blood pressure improvement. These findings suggest that for OSA patients with hypertension undergoing CPAP therapy, weight management may be an important intervention to optimize treatment outcomes.
This study is the first to systematically assess the sustained impact of CPAP therapy on blood pressure in OSA patients based on long-term home blood pressure monitoring data, providing important evidence for the development of personalized treatment strategies in clinical practice. The results emphasize the importance of comprehensive management of lifestyle factors during CPAP therapy, especially for patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.