Arterial stiffness in young hypertensive men with obstructive sleep apnea

Aim. To assess arterial wall stiffness in hypertensive men under 45 years old depending on the presence or absence of obstructive sleep apnea, and regardless of other factors potentially influencing arterial stiffness.

Materials and methods. The study included 75 hypertensive men aged 18-44 years old. all patients underwent general clinical, laboratory and instrumental diagnostics, including biochemical blood test, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring (aBPM), overnight cardiorespiratory monitoring, sphygmography, applanation tonometry.

Results. The mean age of included patients was 35.0 years old [29.0; 40.0]. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSa) (apnea/hypopnea index (aHI) ≥ 5 events/h) were older (38.5 years [35.0; 43.0] vs. 30.0 [28.0; 40.0], p=0.00), more often suffered from obesity (84.4% vs. 30.2%, p=0.00), had higher glucose levels (5.5 mmol/l [5.2; 6.0] vs. 5.1 [4.9; 5.4], p=0.00) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) (8.6 m/s [7.5; 9.8] vs. 7.4 [6.8; 8.2], p=0.00). at the same time, the frequency of dyslipidemia, blood pressure (BP) levels according to clinical measurements and aBPM, as well as other indicators of the structural and functional state of the arterial wall did not differ significantly between the groups. according to ROC analysis and multivariate logistic regression, it was determined that aHI> 4.9 events/h, clinical systolic BP (SBP) > 130 mm Hg, glucose level > 5.1 mmol/l and age > 37 years are independent markers of high risk of increased arterial stiffness in men under 45 years old.

Conclusion. Obstructive sleep apnea, along with age, glucose levels, and elevated SBP, is an independent marker of increased arterial stiffness. To minimize the negative impact of the described factors on arterial wall stiffness, it is important to control SBP and glucose levels, as well as to treat OSa in young men, especially in the age over 37 years.

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