Could Adjunctive Pharmacology Mitigate Cardiovascular Consequences of OSA?

Could Adjunctive Pharmacology Mitigate Cardiovascular Consequences of OSA? Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Mar 15;: Authors: Ayas NT, Foster GE, Shah N, Floras J, Laher I Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with adverse physiologic and biochemical sequelae including systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, increased chemoreceptor reflex activity, sympathetic nervous system activation, and endothelial dysfunction. In addition, compelling data strongly implicate OSA in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including myocardial infarction and stroke. Yet in clinical trials, CPAP therapy alone did not reduce cardiovascular events in intention to treat analyses. Thus, opportunity arises for adjunctive therapy, independent of treating comorbid conditions, to target downstream adverse physiologic and biochemical consequences of incompletely treated OSA with the goal of CVD reduction. Although many pharmacologic agents could fit this purpose, for this review, we have focused on three specific drug classes (statins, antioxidants, and angiotensin receptor antagonists) that may be relevant based on animal and human studies. PMID: 30875238 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Source Type: research