TOPLINE:
The time arrived at peak blood pressure (BP) velocity (TAPV) was significantly earlier in children with moderate to severe (MS) obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) than in controls.
METHODOLOGY:
- The researchers compared 24-hour circadian BP in children with OSA and controls to examine the impact of OSA on circadian BP.
- The study population included 219 children aged 5-14 years: 52 with mild OSA, 50 with MS OSA, and 117 controls.
- Participants underwent 24-hour BP monitoring and actigraphy; models included the times of BP peaks and TAPV.
TAKEAWAY:
- Children with MS OSA had a TAPV for diastolic BP in the morning, an average of 51 minutes earlier than controls (P < .001).
- Evening TAPV was significantly earlier in the children with MS OSA than in controls for both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) (95 min, P < .001 and 28 min, P = .028, respectively).
- Midday SBP and DBP velocity nadirs were significantly earlier in the children with MS OSA than in controls (57 min, P < .001 and 38 min, P < .01, respectively).
- Overall, children with MS OSA reached most BP values significantly earlier than controls, and both SBP and DBP were significantly elevated in the MS OSA group compared with the control group.
IN PRACTICE:
“The findings provide an essential puzzle piece in our understanding of the cardiovascular effects of OSA in children,” wrote the authors of an accompanying editorial.
SOURCE:
The lead author of the study was Md Tareq Ferdous Khan, MD, of the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; the authors of the accompanying editorial were Kate Ching-Ching Chan, MD, and Albert Martin Li, MD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. The study was published online in the journal Sleep on December 13, 2023, along with the accompanying editorial.
LIMITATIONS:
More research is needed to investigate the potential mechanisms of action, optimize methodology, and investigate circadian biology via actigraphy and biomarkers, the authors of an accompanying editorial wrote.
DISCLOSURES:
The study received no outside funding. The researchers and editorialists had no financial conflicts to disclose.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.