Effect of CPAP-therapy on bronchial and nasal inflammation in patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has been shown to be associated to upper and lower airways inflammation. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the elective treatment of OSAS. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of CPAP-therapy on airway and nasal inflammation. METHODS: In 13 non-smoking subjects affected by untreated OSAS and in 11 non-smoking normal volunteers, airway inflammation was detected by analyses of the induced sputum. In the OSAS group measurements were repeated after 1, 10 and 60 days of the appropriate CPAP treatment. In addition, in 12 subjects of the OSAS group, nasal inflammation was detected by the analysis of induced nasal secretions at baseline, and after 1, 10 and 60 days of CPAP treatment. RESULTS: OSAS patients, compared to normal controls, showed at baseline a higher percentage of neutrophils and a lower percentage of macrophages in the induced sputum. One, 10 and 60 days of appropriate CPAP-therapy did not change the cellular profile of the induced sputum. In addition, in the OSAS patients, the high neutrophilic nasal inflammation present under baseline conditions was not significantly modified by CPAP-therapy. Finally, no patients developed airway hyper-responsiveness after CPAP therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In OSAS subjects, the appropriate CPAP-therapy, while correcting the oxygen desaturation, does not modify the bronchial and nasal inflammatory profile.

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Cardiovascular outcomes of CPAP therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.00401.2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 293 (4) ◽

pp. R1666-R1670 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Walter T. McNicholas

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Obstructive Sleep Apnea ◽

Sleep Apnea ◽

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Cpap Therapy ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Cardiovascular Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Apnea Syndrome ◽

The Impact

Considerable evidence is now available of an independent association between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and cardiovascular disease. The association is particularly strong for systemic arterial hypertension, but there is growing evidence of an association with ischemic heart disease and stroke. The mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease in patients with OSAS are still poorly understood. However, the pathogenesis is likely to be a multifactorial process involving a diverse range of mechanisms, including sympathetic overactivity, selective activation of inflammatory molecular pathways, endothelial dysfunction, abnormal coagulation, and metabolic dysregulation, the latter particularly involving insulin resistance and disordered lipid metabolism. Therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been associated with significant benefits to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, both in short-term studies addressing specific aspects of morbidity, such as hypertension, and more recently in long-term studies that have evaluated major outcomes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, there is a clear need for further studies evaluating the impact of CPAP therapy on cardiovascular outcomes. Furthermore, studies on the impact of CPAP therapy have provided useful information concerning the role of basic cell and molecular mechanisms in the pathophysiology of OSAS.

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