Breathing therapy after stroke shows lower recurrence odds
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) showed lower recurrence odds in trials. The mortality association came from unadjusted observational studies.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
For adults with sleep-disordered breathing after stroke or TIA, randomized trials suggested lower odds of recurrence with CPAP. Short-term trials did not show a mortality difference, which does not establish equivalent survival. Lower mortality in longer-term observational studies was unadjusted and cannot establish that CPAP prolonged life.
This abstract-based account lacks exact follow-up lengths and detailed trial-quality assessments. Functional and cognitive benefits were less consistent and linked to adherence.
What researchers found
Odds of recurrent stroke or TIA
Across 7 randomized trials, CPAP versus controls: estimated odds were 0.49 times the control odds, with a confidence interval of 0.25–0.95 times. Exact follow-up lengths were not reported.
Reading the odds
The confidence interval spans a broad range of lower recurrence odds. Odds compare events with non-events, while risk compares events with everyone assessed. The result does not give an absolute reduction in recurrence risk.
Adherence and other outcomes
Greater CPAP adherence was associated with better function and cognition and less sleepiness. This does not establish that adherence caused those differences. Evidence about fatigue and cardiac events was limited.
The original publication
Effect of CPAP Therapy in Poststroke Patients with Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Suusgaard J, la Cour Karottki NF, West AS et al.
Eur Neurol · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41790582
- Record checked
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