The authors examined a group of patients with medium severe and severe sleep apnoea syndrome. They assessed differences in characteristics of the sleep apnoea syndrome in patients suffering from the disease alone or concurrently from essential hypertension, with the objective to identify possible preference of either group for indication of treatment of the syndrome. They evaluated the effect of treatment by permanent overpressure in the airways on different parameters. In the sleep laboratory 68 patients with the sleep apnoea syndrome were evaluated. They were divided into group A. sleep apnoea syndrome without other complaints – 34 patients, and group B. sleep apnoea syndrome with essential hypertension – 34 patients. Complete all-night polysomnography was recorded, the day-time activity was evaluated according to the Stanford scale of somnolence. For evaluation non-parametric tests: Mann-Whitney U-Wilcoxon Rank Sum W test and Wilcoxon Matched – Pairs Signed Ranks Test were used. No differences were revealed in the fundamental parameters characterizing the sleep apnoea syndrome between patients suffering from the sleep apnoea syndrome alone and patients suffering at the same time from essential hypertension and therefore there was no evidence for preference of either group for indication of therapy with permanent overpressure. The differences in the ratio of different stages of sleep are statistically significant, but insignificant from the functional aspect. Treatment by permanent overpressure in the course of 12 months improved the quality of life by improving day-time activity and the quality of sleep.

        Key words: sleep apnoea syndrome, permanent overpressure, CPAP, hypertension polysomnography