Sleep Apnea in TIA/Stroke: Reducing Cardiovascular Risk With Positive Airway Pressure

The proposed study is a randomized controlled trial among patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke, comparing strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea with usual care over 6-12 months at 2 sites (Yale University School of Medicine and Indiana University School of Medicine). Patients with TIA and minor stroke will be randomly assigned to either usual care or a diagnosis and treatment approach that includes ambulatory polysomnography and initiation of autotitrating CPAP for sleep apnea in a 1:2 (control:intervention) randomization scheme. Intervention patients with sleep apnea will receive either a standard CPAP treatment intervention or an enhanced protocol designed to increase long-term CPAP adherence. The primary outcomes will include: (a) the impact of CPAP on pathophysiologic markers in the following domains of cardiovascular risk: inflammation (CRP, Il-6), heightened sympathetic activity/parasympathetic withdrawal (plasma catecholamines and heart rate variability (HRV)), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, HbA1C), endothelial injury (flow mediated vasodilation), and atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness); and (b) long-term (6-12 month) CPAP adherence.