[Obstructive sleep apnea and stroke].

More than half of the patients hospitalised with stroke suffer from sleep-disordered breathing and 5 - 10 % of patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a history of stroke. Epidemiological studies have shown that untreated OSA is an independent risk factor for stroke. Various pathophysiological mechanisms may contribute to the development of stroke in these patients (i. e., OSA-associated arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, paradoxical embolism through a patent foramen ovale and disturbed cerebrovascular reactivity). Co-existent OSA has a negative impact on both the recovery of neurological functions and the survival of patients with stroke. On the other hand, CPAP therapy has beneficial effects on the incidence and recurrence of stroke in OSA and also on the clinical outcome of those patients who are victims of stroke. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.