Effect of CPAP therapy on cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis

Purpose

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy may decrease the risk of mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. However, these benefits are not completely clear.

Methods

We undertook a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials identified in systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database.

Results

Eighteen studies (4146 patients) were included. Overall, CPAP therapy did not significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular events compared with the control group (odds ratio (OR), 0.84; 95 % confidence intervals (CI), 0.62–1.13; p = 0.25; I ² = 0 %). CPAP was associated with a nonsignificant trend of lower rate of death and stroke (for death: OR, 0.85; 95 % CI, 0.35–2.06; p = 0.72; I ² = 0.0 %; for stroke: OR, 0.56; 95 % CI, 0.18–1.73; p = 0.32; I ² = 12.0 %), a significantly lower Epworth sleepiness score (ESS) (mean difference (MD), ?1.78; 95 % CI, ?2.31 to ?1.24; p < 0.00001; I ² = 76 %), and a significantly lower 24 h systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) (for 24 h systolic BP: MD, ?2.03 mmHg; 95 % CI, ?3.64 to ?0.42; p = 0.01; I ² = 0 %; for diastolic BP: MD, ?1.79 mmHg; 95 % CI, ?2.89 to ?0.68; p = 0.001; I ² = 0 %). Daytime systolic BP and body mass index were comparable between the CPAP and control groups. Subgroup analysis did not show any significant difference between short- and mediate-to-long-term follow-up groups with regard to cardiovascular events, death, and stroke.

Conclusions

CPAP therapy was associated with a trend of decreased risk of cardiovascular events. Furthermore, ESS and BP were significantly lower in the CPAP group. Larger randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings.