Correlation between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is defined as more than 30 recurrent episodes of apnea or a sleep apnea hypopnea index (AHI) of more than 5 times/hour at a night. It is more common in people over 40 years old and is more prevalent in men. The pathogenesis factors and correlations of OSAHS are worth studying.

A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Ovid-Medline databases from the date when the database was established to April 2021. Keywords included obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome, sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome, hypertension, and correlation.

Eight articles involving 3,484 OSAHS patients were included. Analysis results showed that OSAHS was correlated with hypertension [odds ratio (OR) =6.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.38-7.71, P<0.00001]. The severity of OSAHS revealed that the correlation of hypertension to mild, moderate, and severe OSAHS showed OR =1.93, 95% CI: 0.69-5.43, P=0.21, OR =0.43, 95% CI: 0.24-0.74, P=0.0003, and OR =0.85, 95% CI: 0.42-1.73, P=0.66, respectively. The results indicated that mild, moderate, and severe OSAHS are risk factors for hypertension.

Eight articles were included to determine the correlation between OSAHS and hypertension. It was found that OSAHS was closely correlated with hypertension, and they may be risk factors for each other.