Blood pressure variability in children with obesity and sleep-disordered breathing following positive airway pressure treatment

Obese youth with sleep-disordered breathing are treated with positive airway pressure to improve sleep and cardiovascular status. While improvements in sleep parameters have been confirmed, a study by Katz et al. showed no major improvement in ambulatory blood pressure. The aim of this ancillary study was to analyze short-term blood pressure variability, following positive airway pressure treatment, as a more sensitive marker of cardiovascular health. We analyzed 24-h blood pressure variability data in 17 children, taken at baseline and after 12 months of treatment. These data were derived from an already published prospective, multicenter cohort study conducted in 27 youth (8–16 years) with obesity who were prescribed 1-year of positive airway pressure for moderate–severe sleep-disordered breathing. Significant decreases were found in 24 h systolic blood pressure ( p = 0.040) and nighttime diastolic blood pressure ( p = 0.041) average real variability, and diastolic blood pressure ( p = 0.035) weighted standard deviation. Significant decreases were noted in nighttime diastolic blood pressure time rate variability ( p = 0.007). Positive airway pressure treatment resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure variability, suggesting a clinically significant improvement of sympathetic nerve activity in youth with obesity and sleep-disordered breathing. Impact Cardiovascular variability, as measured by blood pressure variability, is improved in children following positive airway pressure treatment. Our novel findings of improved blood pressure time rate variability are the first described in the pediatric literature. Future studies aimed at analyzing target organ damage in this patient population will allow for a better understanding as to whether alterations in blood pressure variability translate to decreasing target organ damage in children, as seen in adults.