Nocturnal nasal congestion is associated with uncontrolled blood pressure in patients with hypertension comorbid obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the independent role of nasal obstruction on blood pressure (BP) control in patients with hypertension comorbid obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

This cross-sectional study comprised of 326 newly diagnosed OSA comorbid hypertension patients from March 2018 to December 2021. Sixty-six patients have controlled hypertension, two hundred and nine with uncontrolled hypertension and fifty-one with resistant hypertension. Information on demographic characteristics, sleep data, hypertension status was collected. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the odds ratios (OR).

RESULTS

Patients with nocturnal nasal congestion had more difficult to control blood pressure, with more numbers of antihypertensive drugs. They tended to have more severe OSA, lower nocturnal oxygen saturation and more severe sleepiness. Univariate analysis showed that nocturnal nasal congestion and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) Scale scores were associated with uncontrolled BP. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol use, OSA severity and CT90, multivariate logistic analysis models showed that nocturnal nasal congestion was independently associated with uncontrolled hypertension (OR = 2.09, p = 0.023). When analyzed more severe resistant hypertension, nocturnal nasal congestion showed a higher association (OR = 2.96, p = 0.014).

CONCLUSION

This cross-sectional study demonstrated that the nocturnal nasal congestion was independently associated with uncontrolled BP. The use of nasal decongestants or nasal surgery may be a potential therapeutic target for resistant hypertension in the future.