Fernandez-Mendoza J, He F, Calhoun SL, et al. - Sleep apnea confers a risk for hypertension development in youth and early sleep apnea interventions may be prophylactic against long-term cardiovascular consequences.

• This is a population-based cohort study of 421 children to examine the link of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with elevated blood pressure (eBP) as well as its orthostatic reactivity in adolescence.

• Nearly 3-fold increased odds of elevated blood pressure in adolescence were observed in relation to persistent sleep apnea.

• Adolescent sleep apnea severity was related to increased blood pressure and orthostatic hypertension in a dose-response manner.

• In female participants, there was no link between childhood OSA and adolescent eBP, while a greater risk of OSA and eBP was seen in male participants.

• In view of these findings, childhood OSA is related to adolescent hypertension only if it persists during this developmental period.

• A large extent of, but not all, the risk of hypertension related to adolescent OSA is explained by visceral adiposity.