Uncontrolled blood pressure and risks of sleep apnea among Blacks: Findings from the Metabolic Syndrome Outcome (MetSO) study

Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is linked to increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, few studies have assessed the impact of this relationship among blacks with metabolic syndrome. Data for this study were collected from 1,035 blacks (mean age = 62±13 years) enrolled in the Metabolic Syndrome Outcome (MetSO) study. Patients with a score ≥6 on the Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES™) were considered at risk for OSA. Of the sample, 77.1% were low-to-high OSA risk and 92.3% were hypertensive, of which 16.8% had uncontrolled BP levels. Analysis also showed 60.4% were diabetic, 8.9% had a stroke history, 74.3% had dyslipidemia, 69.8% were obese and 30.9% had a history of heart disease. Logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate associations between uncontrolled BP and OSA risk, while adjusting for known covariates. Findings showed that uncontrolled BP independently increased the odds of OSA risk twofold (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.18–3.48, p < 0.05). Our findings show that uncontrolled BP was associated with a twofold greater risk of OSA among blacks, suggesting that those with metabolic syndrome and who have uncontrolled BP should be screened for the presence of OSA.