Resistant hypertension and sleep apnea

It is well known that sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure. And that high blood pressure can of course cause heart problems including heart attacks. Doctors will usually prescribe blood pressure medicine for those with high blood pressure whether they are sleep apnea sufferers or not. What is interesting to note is that the blood pressure isn’t always controlled by just medication; this is also referred to as resistant hypertension. According to an article on the web a good deal of folks with resistant hypertension also has sleep apnea.




What can you do about resistant hypertension?

According to About.com“Because resistant hypertension is usually the result of some underlying issue, treatment focuses on correcting this underlying issue. If a hormone imbalance is the cause of the resistant hypertension, then treatment efforts are focused on correcting the patient’s hormone profile.”



Dr. Henry Black a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, states that 70% to 80% of resistant hypertension patients have obstructive apnea. Doctor Black also states that the cpap machine will only help lower the blood pressure if it is used for a long time. Doctor Black also says that more research is needed to find ways to lower blood pressure for those with sleep apnea.



I have high blood pressure and sleep apnea; luckily my BP can be controlled by diuretics and blood pressure medicine. As for the cpap mask I never could get used to it.



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