White Coat Hypertension and Sleep Apnea

T he potential role of sleep apnea in the pathogenesis and complications of cardiovascular disorders is a notion that recently has gained support.1,2 More specifically, several studies have been performed in order to analyze the association of hypertension in patients with sleep apnea and the potential importance of obstructive sleep apnea as a secondary and possible treatable cause of hypertension3–5 In this issue of CHEST (see page 817), Garcı́a-Rı́o et al report on the prevalence of “white coat hypertension” in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. They demonstrate that the prevalence of white coat hypertension in patients with sleep apnea is 33% (15 patients). Before discussing their findings, we will briefly summarize our knowledge regarding the association of sleep apnea and hypertension, and the clinical significance of white coat hypertension.