Diurnal Blood Pressure Variation in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome

185 Hypertens Res Vol.31 (2008) No.2 p.185-191 Original Article Diurnal Blood Pressure Variation in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome Kohei NAGATA1), Naohiko OSADA2), Minako SHIMAZAKI1), Keisuke KIDA2), Kihei YONEYAMA2), Ayako TSUCHIYA2), Takashi YASUDA1), and Kenjiro KIMURA1) Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is an important risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Diurnal blood pressure (BP) changes are evaluated by 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between diurnal BP variation and SAS severity, as well as the impact of antihypertensive therapy on diurnal BP variation. Patients seen at our clinic between April and September 2006 with excessive daytime sleepiness or apnea were enrolled. All patients had polysomnography and ABPM. Mean 24 h BP and nighttime BPs were significantly higher in the SAS group than in the non-SAS group. No significant differences were observed in daytime BPs between the two groups. SAS patients had a high mean 24-h BP and an elevated nighttime BP, both of which increased as SAS severity increased. Nighttime BPs were significantly higher in the moderate SAS group than in the non-SAS group. Nighttime BP and morning BP were significantly higher in the severe SAS group than in the non-SAS group. With respect to antihypertensive agents’ effects on diurnal BP changes, there were no significant differences between the SAS and non-SAS groups. In conclusion, compared with non-SAS patients, patients with SAS had a higher 24-h BP, especially nighttime BP. Patients with moderate SAS tended to have elevated nighttime BP. In patients with severe SAS, elevated BP was sustained during the night despite the use of antihypertensive agents. (Hypertens Res 2008; 31: 185–191) Key Words: sleep apnea syndrome, diurnal blood pressure variation, antihypertensive agents Introduction Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a treatable form of disordered breathing in which the upper airway closes repeatedly during sleep. SAS is defined as the presence of a pathological number of apnea or hypopnea episodes that disturb respiratory flow during sleep. This syndrome is normally associated with nighttime arousals and/or excessive daytime sleepiness. Several cross-sectional analyses have shown an increased risk of stroke in patients with sleep-disordered breathing; the increased risk is of a magnitude similar to those of other cardiovascular risk factors (1). SAS is also known as an important risk factor for hyperten- sion (2), and blood pressure (BP) elevation is related to the severity of SAS (3). Recently, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has demonstrated the importance of diurnal BP variation. Previous studies have shown that SAS patients had high mean 24-h BP (3) and elevated nighttime BP that increased as the SAS severity increased (4, 5). Unfortunately, most ABPM studies of SAS patients have evaluated only daytime and nighttime BPs; few studies have investigated diurnal BP variation for 24-h periods. It has been reported that acute ischemic stroke and acute myocardial ischemia frequently occur 1 to 2 h after awakening, and that the presence of a high nighttime BP might trigger their occurrence (6, 7). Kario et al. (8) reported that high From the 1)Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and 2)Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan. Address for Reprints: Kohei Nagata, M.D., Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2–16–1 Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki 216–8511, Japan. E-mail: Received May 31, 2007; Accepted in revised form August 13, 2007. 186 Hypertens Res Vol. 31, No. 2 (2008) Going to bed mmHg Arising Sleep Awake Awake Morning BP 200 Evening BP Preawake BP Lowest BP 150 100 50 6 PM Midnight 6 AM Noon Fig. 1. The category of diurnal BP variation. BP values: the average of 4 BP recording; awake BP: the avarege of BP measurements recorded during the rest of the day; sleep BP: the average of BP measurements from the time when the patient went to bed until the time he/she got out of bed; evening BP: the 2 h before going to bed; morning BP: the 2 h after waking up; preawake BP: the 2 h before waking up; lowest BP: the average of the 3 lowest BP reading at nighttime; nocturnal BP fall (%): 100 × [1 − sleep BP/awake BP ratio] (10). early morning BP is probably a risk factor for asymptomatic cerebral infarction in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest a possible relationship between diurnal BP variation in SAS patients and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the present study was conducted to clarify the relationship between diurnal BP variation and SAS severity, as well as the impact of antihypertensive therapy on diurnal BP variation. Methods Patients who were seen in our clinic between April and September 2006 due to excessive daytime sleepiness or apnea that had been observed by others were enrolled. All patients had polysomnography (PSG) and ABPM. Blood samples were collected at the first examination to measure blood glucose level, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, and triglyceride. The following exclusion criteria were used: a history of heart disease, respiratory disease, or renal disease; less than 15 years of age; withholding of consent to undergo ABPM. The present study was approved by the Institutional Committee on Human Research of St. Marianna University School of Medicine (No. 1080). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to enrollment. Polysomnography SAS was diagnosed based on the results of full PSG (SleepwatcherLEEP WATHCER®, Compumedics, Australia; or Polymate®, Miyuki Giken, Tokyo, Japan). The PSG included an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electro-oculogram, a chin electromyogram, and an electrocardiogram. Four-channel electroencephalography electrodes were attached to the right and left sides at the top and back of the head. A thermistor and a nasal cannula were placed at the nostril and mouth to measure the respiratory airflow; a strain gauge sen- sor monitored respiratory movements of the chest and abdominal walls. The arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) was continuously measured using a pulse oxymeter. Sleeping states were analyzed manually according to the method described by Rechtschaffen and Kales in 1968 (9). Apnea was defined as continuous cessation of breathing airflow for 10 s or more per hour of sleep; hypopnea was defined as a reduction in breathing airflow of 50% or more of a normal breath with an SpO2 desaturation of 3% or an EEG arousal response. The number of SpO2 drops of at least 3% during sleep was defined as 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI). The apneahypopnea index (AHI) was calculated as the total number of apnea and hypopnea episodes per hour of sleep based on the PSG results. Patients with an AHI≥ 5/h were diagnosed as having SAS. (...truncated)