Obstructive sleep apnea and blood pressure. Interaction between the blood pressure-lowering effects of positive airway pressure therapy and antihypertensive drugs.

Background: There is increasing evidence that obstructive sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for arterial hypertension. Previous studies on the antihypertensive effects of positive airway pressure therapy on daytime blood pressure (BP) revealed inconsistent results.

Methods: The relations between the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) and BP or heart rate (HR) were investigated in a cohort of 540 consecutive patients (age, 55.

Interaction of sleep disturbances and gastroesophageal reflux in chronic laryngitis.

Background: A considerable percentage of patients with reflux laryngitis do not respond to conventional treatment with proton pump inhibitors or prokinetics. At the present time, the reasons for this are not well known.

Purpose: To investigate whether nocturnal reflux associated with sleep-related respiratory disorders is the cause of refractory laryngitis.