in your own words, you will summarize the article. The summary should be factual, do not include your opinions. After the summary, you will include a personal response. The personal response is your opinions. You may use facts from the article to support your opinions.Your Article Review will be about 1 page long.

Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea Fails to Improve Cardiovascular Health

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder that causes sleepers to briefly stop breathing hundreds of times a night, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood resulting from these apneas elevate blood pressure and cause arrhythmias. OSA doubles the risk of sudden cardiac death and increases the risk of a fatal or nonfatal heart attack by 30 percent. So it stands to reason that the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to prevent apneas should lower the risk of cardiovascular events, but apparently, it does not. A review of 10 randomized clinical trials involving more than 7,000 patients published ahead of print July 11, 2018, in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that CPAP was not associated with a reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, all-cause death, stroke or heart failure, compared with no treatment. The finding follows a prospective clinical trial by the same researchers in which 2,717 participants with OSA and cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease were randomized to CPAP plus usual care or usual care alone. In this trial, published Sept 8, 2016, in the New England Journal of Medicine, no significant difference was seen in the rate of cardiovascular events, death from cardiovascular causes, heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure or transient ischemic attack when CPAP was provided. These findings do not diminish the value of CPAP in helping eliminate daytime sleepiness. The treatment also can improve blood pressure, blood sugar control, memory and depression. What it does suggest is that patients with OSA should be evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors and treated appropriately.