The Effect of Sleep Apnea and Hypertension on Gut Microbiome

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are closely associated diseases. Here we characterized the differences in the gut microbiome which is affected by the two diseases, when the two diseases coexist or are present alone. Fifty-two consecutive patients who underwent polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled and divided into four groups: without OSA or hypertension (OSA0HT0), OSA without hypertension (OSA1HT0), hypertension without OSA (OSA0HT1), and with OSA and hypertension (OSA1HT1). Fecal specimens were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing and the characteristics of community richness, diversity, and composition of the gut microbiome and their relationship with disease were analyzed using bioinformatics methods.