CPAP treatment may reduce pregnancy complications in expectant mums with sleep apnoea

In pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment helps lower the risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which the treatment effect of CPAP use on lowering pregnancy complications such as hypertension and pre-eclampsia risks in women with OSA was evaluated.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed, and random-effects model meta-analyses were performed. The researchers also conducted subgroup analyses, meta-regression based on age and BMI, and publication bias assessment.

Six studies involving 809 participants (mean age 31.4 years, mean BMI 34.0 kg/m²) were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled data showed that compared with nonuse, CPAP use was associated with a decreased risk of gestational hypertension (risk ratio [RR], 0.65, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.89; p=0.008) and pre-eclampsia (RR, 0.70, 95 percent CI, 0.50–0.98; p=0.04).

On meta-regression, the beneficial effect of CPAP on the risk of gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia was not correlated with patient age (coefficient, −0.0190; p=0.83) and BMI (coefficient, −0.0042; p=0.87).