Effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on hypertension control in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders: available evidence and unresolved issues.

In the last decade, large epidemiological and prospective studies have shown an independent association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension [1-4]. Also based on experimental animal models [5,6], complex interactions among OSA, sympathetic activation, increase in plasma aldosterone levels, and blood pressure (BP) changes have been proposed as possible mediators for this association [7-9].