Abstract:Objective To assess the influence of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) on cardiac autonomic nerve functions by heart rate turbulence (HRT) parameters. Methods Using cross-sectional study, the hypertension patients received polysomnography (PSG) monitoring in department of otorhinolaryngology of Nanping First Hospital of Fujian from May 2015 to March 2018 were selected. All patients were evaluated by PSG and 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram (24 h DCG) to screen qualified objects. A total of 72 patients with obstructive sleep apnea-related hypertension (OSA-RH group) and 38 age-and gender-matched patients with essential hypertension (EH group) were included. HRT parameters including turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) were obtained from 24 h DCG records. The HRT parameters were compared between two groups, and their associations with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were analyzed. Results Compared with EH group, TO in OSA-RH group increased significantly [(0.87±0.52) % vs (-0.07±0.29) %; P<0.01], while there was no significant difference in TS between two groups[(2. 93±3. 15) ms/RR interval vs (3. 21 ± 2. 44) ms/RR interval, P=0.212]?TO was positively correlated with AHI (r= 0.854, P<0.01). Logistic multiple regression analysis showed that TO was still an independent predicting factor of AHI (OR=2. 414, 95%CI:1. 569-3. 576) after correcting other variables. Conclusion The HRT parameter, especially TO, is related to AHI. The dysfunction of cardiac autonomic nerve reflected by HRT may be a potential important factor for promoting arrhythmia and cardiac sudden death in OSA-RH patients.