Risk factor panels associated with hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea patients with different body mass indexes

- Hypertension as a comorbidity was more common in obese OSA patients.
- The risk factor panels associated with hypertension in OSA patients varied by BMI.
- Apnea or hypopnea was an independent risk factor for hypertension in all BMI groups.

Although hypertension (HTN), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and obesity frequently co-occur, the precise role of obesity in this interrelationship is not completely understood. A total of 727 OSA patients were assigned to body mass index (BMI) <25 (27.6%; n = 201), 25≤ BMI <29.99 (53.4%; n = 388), and BMI ≥30 (19%; n = 138). HTN risk factors in each group were evaluated. A total of 244 (33.6%) patients exhibited co-morbid HTN, of whom 20.5% (50/244), 52.9% (129/244), and 26.6% (65/244) were distributed between the BMI <25, 25≤ BMI <29.99, and BMI ≥30 groups, respectively. Multiple logistic regression indicated that age, male gender, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores were HTN risk factors for the BMI<25 group. In the 25≤ BMI <29.99 group, risk factors were age, BMI, diabetes, and AHI. Finally, in the BMI ≥30 group, risk factors were age, diabetes, TG, LDL-C and AHI. These results demonstrate that different risk factor panels were associated with HTN in OSA patients with different BMIs.