The Epidemiology of Sleep Disordered Breathing and Hypertension in Various Populations.

Hypertension is prevalent in patients with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Since hypertension significantly relates to cardiovascular diseases, the treatment and prevention of SDB could be targets for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In this article, we summarize about epidemiology of SDB and hypertension in various populations. General population based studies on the prevalence of SDB reported that 24 to 47% male and 9 to 30% female had SDB. Furthermore, the prevalence of hypertension in individuals with SDB was high, ranging from 36 to 57%. American and Korean based studies reported that the severity of SDB related to increase of blood pressure and hypertension. In the elderly, however, the severity of SDB did not relate to increase in blood pressure and hypertension, but to dipping pattern of blood pressure. With respect to children, the severity of SDB also related to increase in blood pressure, but the trend was inconstant in children with habitual snoring. In addition to the sexual differences, the severity of SDB related to hypertension in males. On the other hand, there was no relationship between the severity of SDB and hypertension in females. SDB was prevalent in the general population, regardless of race, and affected blood pressure. We should pay attention to the subjects' individual character when we interrupt the outcome.