A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension

Abstract

Background:

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects roughly half of patients with essential hypertension, while essential hypertension affects roughly half of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. If OSA is not treated, it can result in even resistant hypertension. These two things are frequently considered as a continuity of the same process and coexist. Due mostly to a lack of knowledge, 80–90% of OSA patients go untreated.

Material and methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital during a one-year period. 179 hypertensive individuals who were older than 18 years were added to the trial after giving their informed consent. The STOP-BANG questionnaire was used to screen for OSA in all patients. Overnight polysomnography was used to confirm the diagnosis of OSA (AHI ≥5) in patients with scores of ≥3. Non-OSA patients were defined as those having an AHI <5 and a STOP-BANG score ≥2 or ≥3.

Results:

OSA was present in more than half (72.5%) of the research participants. Their mean age was 54.21±10.32 years, with a range of 18 to 75 years. It was discovered that the mean age of OSA cases was marginally greater than that of non-OSA individuals. The most of OSA cases were male. As BMI increased, there was a corresponding rise in both the prevalence and severity of OSA. It was found that the OSA group had considerably greater levels of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) than the non-OSA group.

Conclusion:

OSA was present in over half of our hypertensive individuals. These two illnesses are known as a deadly combination because they frequently coexist. Physicians should be more suspicious of early diagnosis and treatment in order to improve quality of life, lower the number of traffic accidents, and improve cardiovascular outcomes.