Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on arterial stiffness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension: a meta-analysis.

Arterial stiffness has been recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in hypertensive patients. However, the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on arterial stiffness in patients with OSA and hypertension remains inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis to determine whether effective CPAP therapy could decrease arterial stiffness. Two reviewers independently searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library prior to March 5, 2015. Information on characteristics of subjects, study design and pre- and post-CPAP treatment of arterial stiffness was extracted for analysis. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to analyze the summary estimates for CPAP therapy. Three articles with 186 patients were included in this meta-analysis, including two observational studies and one randomized controlled study. The meta-analysis showed that CPAP was associated with a statistically significant decrease in arterial stiffness in patients with OSA and hypertension (SMD = -0.65, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = -1.14 to -0.16, z = 2.60, p = 0.009). Our meta-analysis suggested that CPAP among OSA and hypertensive patients was significantly associated with a decrease in arterial stiffness. Further prospective large-scale multicenter RCTs are needed to explore the precise impact of CPAP therapy on arterial stiffness in patients with OSA and hypertension.