Effect of CPAP on a marker of endothelial inflammation differs by OSA-related CVD risk markersShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Annals of the American Thoracic Society, ISSN 2329-6933, E-ISSN 2325-6621, Vol. 23, no 8, p. 1226-1228Article in journal, Letter (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention have not demonstrated benefit.1 We have identified a “high-CVD-risk” OSA phenotype characterized by respiratory events producing deep oxygen desaturations (high “hypoxic burden”) or large event-related increases in heart rate (high “heart-rate response”). Using data from 3 RCTs of CPAP for secondary prevention of CVD, we found that in high-CVD-risk OSA, CPAP was associated with a 24% to 35% relative reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events compared with usual care.1 In contrast, among “low-CVDrisk” OSA patients (those without high hypoxic burden or heart-rate response) CPAP was associated with a 30% to 35% relative increase in major adverse cardiovascular events. These findings highlight the need to understand the mechanisms by which CPAP may confer cardiovascular benefit in some individuals yet harm in others. One proposed mechanism of CPAP-related harm involves pulmonary distension resulting in release of angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2) from pulmonary endothelial cells, with a resultant increase in systemic vascular inflammation, as several studies show that CPAP treatment causes an increase in circulating ANGPT2.2-4 In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the CPAP-induced change in ANGPT2 differs by OSA-related CVD risk group.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2026. Vol. 23, no 8, p. 1226-1228
Keywords [en]
beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent, adult, aged, apnea hypopnea index, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular risk, continuous positive airway pressure, endotheliitis, female, human, Letter, major clinical study, male, obstructive sleep apnea, risk assessment, article, clinical article, therapy
National Category
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease Respiratory Medicine and Allergy
Research subject
Translational Medicine TRIM
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:his:diva-26953DOI: 10.1093/annalsats/aaoag112ISI: 001837575700007PubMedID: 42087330Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105046161946OAI: oai:DiVA.org:his-26953DiVA, id: diva2:2092236
Funder
NIH (National Institutes of Health), R01HL153874NIH (National Institutes of Health), R21 HL161766NIH (National Institutes of Health), R01 HL137234
Note
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Thoracic Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
Letter
Correspondence Address: A. Azarbarzin; Sleep Apnea Health Outcomes Research Group, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 221 Longwood Ave, 02115, United States; email: aazarbarzin@bwh.harvard.edu
This study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01HL153874, R21 HL161766, R01 HL137234) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (SR-2217).
2026-08-142026-08-142026-08-17Bibliographically approved