Prediction of positive response to CPAP therapy for patients with Resistant Hypertension and Sleep Apnea.

Manuel Sánchez de la Torre

  • PROJECT LEADER

    Manuel Sánchez de la Torre

  • HOST ORGANIZATION,
    COUNTRY

    Ciberes, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, área de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Spain

  • DESCRIPTION

    Research
    Highly reliable biomarker-based predictive method for patients with resistant hypertension (RH) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This approach will positively target a population in need of continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) as a therapy for RH and OSA to control blood pressure.

    The method is based on the specific expression profiling from blood samples, which gives a quantitative score parameter (HIPARCO-Score). This algorithm-based score directly translates into a prediction of blood pressure response to CPAP treatment for a given patient. This treatment is a potential effective therapeutic alternative for blood pressure control in patients with RH and OSA.

    Aim
    To develop a ready-to-use kit specific for the HIPARCO-Score test to provide appropriate information to the clinician on the probability of accurate response to the CPAP treatment.

    Problem to Solve
    Hypertension, with 40% prevalence in Spain, is the most important risk factor to further develop any given cardiovascular disease. Patients with RH are resistant to multiple treatments, and usually also suffer from OSA. While CPAP is emerging as a new effective therapeutic alternative for blood control in RH, there is a need to positively predict RH patients that would benefit from CPAP.

    Innovation
    The implementation of the HIPARCO score in clinical settings as a predictive tool for elegible CPAP treatment, accurately identifies patients with both RH and OSA that could benefit from CPAP therapy for blood pressure control.

    Level of Innovation
    The HIPARCO-Score developed by the team represents an innovation in several fronts as it offers a simple read-out for a clinical management of patients with RH and OSA for blood pressure control. Currently, there are no available treatments for RH patients, 80% of which also suffer from OSA. This is the first technology-based tool for precision medicine in patients with RH and OSA for blood pressure control. Thus, an accurate diagnose would have several positive effects, from benefiting the patients care to lowering the healthcare costs associated with non-effective drugs.