IMR Press / RCM / Volume 24 / Issue 12 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2412342
Open Access Review
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Hypertensive Heart Disease: From Pathophysiology to Therapeutics
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1 Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310000 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
2 Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food and Drugs, Medical School, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
*Correspondence: daihaijiang1217@zju.edu.cn (Haijiang Dai); daniel_2020@zju.edu.cn (Huimin Chen)
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2023, 24(12), 342; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2412342
Submitted: 29 August 2023 | Revised: 29 September 2023 | Accepted: 12 October 2023 | Published: 6 December 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway that lead to intermittent hypoxemia, negative intrathoracic pressure, hypercapnia, and sleep disturbances. While OSA is recognized as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it’s relationship with hypertensive heart disease (HHD) remains underappreciated. HHD is a condition characterized by the pathological hypertrophy of the left ventricle, a consequence of elevated arterial hypertension. Interestingly, both OSA and HHD share similar underlying mechanisms including hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation, which ultimately contribute to the progression of HHD. This review aims to shed light on the potential role of OSA in HHD pathogenesis, summarizing current OSA treatment options. It is hoped that this review will encourage a renewed clinical focus on HHD and underscore the need for further OSA research, particularly in the context of screening and treating HHD patients.

Keywords
obstructive sleep apnea
hypertensive heart disease
pathophysiology
therapeutics
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