Blood pressure (BP) is one of the most dynamic physiologic variables that is routinely measured in clinical practice and is characterized by continuous and significant changes beat-to-beat, over 24 ...h, day-to-day, and visit-to-visit. Under physiological conditions, these BP variations largely represent a response to environmental stimulations and challenges of daily life aimed at maintaining so-called cardiovascular "homeostasis". However, sustained increases in blood pressure variability (BPV) may also reflect alterations in cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms or underlying pathological conditions and may represent a source of damage to the cardiovascular system. The clinical significance and prognostic implications of these BP variations have been demonstrated by a series of clinical and population studies conducted in recent years, in which increasing BPV has been associated with a higher risk of subclinical organ damage, cardiovascular events, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, independent of elevated average BP values. This paper will review the available evidence on the current definitions, classification, and mechanisms responsible for different types of BPV by focusing on their relevance to cardiovascular homeostasis and cardiovascular disease.
Sleep in Women Across the Life Span Pengo, Martino F.; Won, Christine H.; Bourjeily, Ghada
Chest,
07/2018, Letnik:
154, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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There are many ways in which women experience sleep differently from men. Women contending with distinct sleep challenges respond differently to sleep disorders, as well as sleep deprivation and ...deficiency, and face particular health outcomes as a result of poor sleep. Idiosyncrasies, including changes that occur with the biological life cycles of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, make the understanding of sleep in women an important topic to study. Each phase of a woman’s life, from childhood to menopause, increases the risk of sleep disturbance in unique ways that may require distinct management. Indeed, new research is unraveling novel aspects of sleep pathology in women and the fundamental role that sex hormones play in influencing sleep regulation and arousals and possibly outcomes of sleep conditions. Moreover, studies indicate that during times of hormonal change, women are at an increased risk for sleep disturbances such as poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation, as well as sleep disorders such as OSA, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia. This article reviews sleep changes in female subjects from neonatal life to menopause.
The treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mandibular advancement devices (MADs) is associated with blood pressure (BP) reduction; however, ...the overall effect is modest. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effect of such treatments on BP was to identify subgroups of patients who respond best to treatment.The article search was performed in three different databases with specific search terms and selection criteria. From 2289 articles, we included 68 RCTs that compared CPAP or MADs with either passive or active treatment. When all the studies were pooled together, CPAP and MADs were associated with a mean BP reduction of -2.09 (95% CI -2.78- -1.40) mmHg for systolic BP and -1.92 (95% CI -2.40- -1.43) mmHg for diastolic BP and -1.27 (95% CI -2.34- -0.20) mmHg for systolic BP and -1.11 (95% CI -1.82- -0.41) mmHg for diastolic BP, respectively. The subgroups of patients who showed a greater response were those aged <60 years (systolic BP -2.93 mmHg), with uncontrolled BP at baseline (systolic BP -4.14 mmHg) and with severe oxygen desaturations (minimum arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry <77%) at baseline (24-h systolic BP -7.57 mmHg).Although this meta-analysis shows that the expected reduction of BP by CPAP/MADs is modest, it identifies specific characteristics that may predict a pronounced benefit from CPAP in terms of BP control. These findings should be interpreted with caution; however, they are particularly important in identifying potential phenotypes associated with BP reduction in patients treated for OSA.
Vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to favor a poorer outcome of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to assess if 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25OHD) levels are associated with interleukin 6 ...(IL-6) levels and with disease severity and mortality in COVID-19. We prospectively studied 103 in-patients admitted to a Northern-Italian hospital (age 66.1 + or - 14.1 years, 70 males) for severely-symptomatic COVID-19. Fifty-two subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection but mild COVID-19 symptoms (mildly-symptomatic COVID-19 patients) and 206 subjects without SARS-CoV-2 infection were controls. We measured 25OHD and IL-6 levels at admission and focused on respiratory outcome during hospitalization. Severely-symptomatic COVID-19 patients had lower 25OHD levels (18.2 + or - 11.4 ng/mL) than mildly-symptomatic COVID-19 patients and non-SARS-CoV-2-infected controls (30.3 + or - 8.5 ng/mL and 25.4 + or - 9.4 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.0001 for both comparisons). 25OHD and IL-6 levels were respectively lower and higher in severely-symptomatic COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care Unit (ICU), 14.4 + or - 8.6 ng/mL and 43.0 (19.0-56.0) pg/mL, respectively, than in those not requiring ICU admission 22.4 + or - 1.4 ng/mL, p = 0.0001 and 16.0 (8.0-32.0) pg/mL, p = 0.0002, respectively. Similar differences were found when comparing COVID-19 patients who died in hospital 13.2 + or - 6.4 ng/mL and 45.0 (28.0-99.0) pg/mL with survivors 19.3 + or - 12.0 ng/mL, p = 0.035 and 21.0 (10.5-45.9) pg/mL, p = 0.018, respectively). 25OHD levels inversely correlated with: i) IL-6 levels (rho - 0.284, p = 0.004); ii) the subsequent need of the ICU admission relative risk, RR 0.99, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.98-1.00, p = 0.011 regardless of age, gender, presence of at least 1 comorbidity among obesity, diabetes, arterial hypertension, creatinine, IL-6 and lactate dehydrogenase levels, neutrophil cells, lymphocytes and platelets count; iii) mortality (RR 0.97, 95%CI, 0.95-0.99, p = 0.011) regardless of age, gender, presence of diabetes, IL-6 and C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels, neutrophil cells, lymphocytes and platelets count. In our COVID-19 patients, low 25OHD levels were inversely correlated with high IL-6 levels and were independent predictors of COVID-19 severity and mortality.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is probably the most common respiratory disorder, with recent data from the United States and Europe suggesting that between 14% and 49% of middle-aged men have ...clinically significant OSA. The intimate relationship between OSA and obesity means that its prevalence will only increase as the global obesity epidemic evolves. At an individual level, OSA leads to a significant decrease in quality of life (QOL) and functional capacity, alongside a markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Emerging data also suggest that the presence and severity of OSA and associated nocturnal hypoxemia are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cancer. At a societal level, OSA not only leads to reduced economic productivity, but also constitutes a major treatable risk factor for hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke. This article addresses OSA from an epidemiological perspective, from prevalence studies to economic aspects to co-morbidity.
Abstract
The majority of the current international obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) guidelines base the recommendation to treat OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the presence of ...symptoms (principally, albeit not exclusively on daytime hypersomnolence). In nonsleepy patients, even with severe OSA, controversies remain, as clear evidence supporting CPAP treatment of this subgroup of OSA patients is lacking. However, given the nonnegligible proportion of non-sleepy OSA patients, clinicians often face a serious dilemma since CPAP treatment in these patients may prove to be not cost-effective. Here, we propose a simple three-step-based algorithm that attempts to better phenotype non-sleepy OSA patients prior to reaching a CPAP treatment decision while also considering a series of clinically relevant elements in the process that may improve with CPAP therapy. Such algorithm focuses on the presence of several OSA symptoms that are susceptible to benefit from treatment and also relies on OSA phenotypes that need to be considered in an effort to achieve optimal cardiovascular prevention. Here, we attempt to establish a framework for clinicians who are evaluating severe nonsleepy OSA patients in their practices. However, the algorithm proposal needs to be extensively validated before being systematically implemented in clinical settings.
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