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Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) — in particular, obstructive sleep apnea — is associated with hypertension. To determine whether this association is mediated by obesity, researchers examined data from a multicenter prospective cohort study of SDB and cardiovascular disease; baseline data from this study were published previously (JW Cardiol Jun 2 2000).
Nearly 2500 people (mean age, 60) without histories of hypertension or treatment for SDB underwent overnight polysomnography (with calculation of the apnea-hypopnea index) at baseline. During 5 years of follow-up, about 25% of participants developed hypertension. In a multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, and race, a significant “dose–response” relation was noted between baseline apne…