Effect of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on elderly Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea in the prethrombotic state

Objectives To characterize the prethrombotic state ( PTS) in elderly Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) ventilation on their PTS.Methods Forty-one elderly patients with moderate and severe OSAHS were enrolled into the OSAHS group and underwent nCPAP treatment. Their blood samples were drawn at 6:00 am and 4:00 pm before and during nCPAP treatment, respectively, to test hemocrit, platelet aggregation (PAG), whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma fibrinogen (fng), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). All blood factors were also tested in a control group consisting of 32 healthy elderly Chinese with neither OSAHS nor cerebrocardiac vascular disease.Results In the OSAHS group there was a significantly higher hemocrit, WBV, fng, and a significantly shorter PT and APTT at 6:00 am compared to 4:00 pm before nCPAP treatment, while there was no significant difference among all blood test factors between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment. In the OSAHS group, the hemocrit, WBV, PAG and plasma fng were significantly lower and the PT and APTT were significantly longer at 6:00 am on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment compared to 6:00 am before the nCPAP treatment. A significantly lower hemocrit, but a much longer PT and APTT were observed at 4:00 pm on day 30 of the treatment, compared with 4:00 pm before the treatment. No significant difference among the blood test factors was found between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm blood in the control group or between the control and OSAHS groups after 30 days of nCPAP treatment.Conclusion In elderly Chinese OSAHS patients, PTS could be effectively eliminated by nCPAP treatment.

Alterations in renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and effects of continuous positive airway pressure

Objective To assess renal function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during two nights when they were untreated and treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Methods Tubular function was estimated on the basis of the renal lithium clearance and its derived formulae, urinary osmolality, osmolal clearance and free water clearance; while glomerular function was evaluated by endogenous creatinine clearance. Twenty patients with OSAS and sixteen normal controls were studied. Results The untreated patients with OSAS had significantly lower fractional proximal tubular sodium reabsorption (59.1%±7.1%,P<0.001 vs controls), lower fractional distal tubular sodium reabsorption (93.8%±1.7%, P<0.05 vs controls) and urinary osmolality (573.0±107.9 mosm·kg 1 , P<0.05 vs controls). The absolute distal tubular reabsorption rate of sodium and osmolal clearance in the untreated patients were higher 47.0±26.0 mmol·L 1 and 25.0±4.1 ml·L 1 ; P< 0.01 and P<0.05 respectively vs controls). During CPAP treated nights all abnormal renal function indexes in the OSAS patients restored to normal control values (P>0.05). Conclusions The natriuresis and diuresis of OSAS patients were due to the decrease in proximal and distal tubular sodium reabsorption and in tubular concentration ability during their nocturnal sleep and were returned to normal by CPAP therapy.