In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine , researchers investigated the effects of tirzepatide on adults with obesity and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They found that tirzepatide significantly reduced the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), body weight, concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), hypoxic burden, and systolic blood pressure (SBP), and improved patient-reported sleep-related outcomes compared to placebo. Study: Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity .
Image Credit: WESTOCK PRODUCTIONS/Shutterstock.com OSA is marked by repetitive pharyngeal collapse during sleep, leading to apneas, hypopneas, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and arousal, with significant symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness and an increased cardiovascular risk. Affecting over 900 million people globally, with 40% experiencing moderate-to-severe OSA, the condition has substantial medical and economic impacts.
Traditional treatments for the condition focus on mechanical support, primarily positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, which improves the AHI but has limited adherence and no proven reduction in cardiovascular outcomes. Alternative treatments like mandibular advancement and upper-airway surgery are either less effective or invasive. Further, OSA has no approved pharmaceuticals.
Excess adiposity is a key reversible risk factor, making weight management crucial. Tirzepatide, a long-acting GIP (short for glucos.
