Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches

Alber, Bridget R.; Cheung, Emily C.; Russo, Rebekah; Jain, Vivek; Schunke, Kathryn Jaques; Mendelowitz, David; Kay, Matthew W.

doi:10.3390/biomedicines14061263

Open AccessReview

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches

by

Bridget R. Alber

¹

,

Emily C. Cheung

¹,

Rebekah Russo

¹

,

Vivek Jain

²,

Kathryn Jaques Schunke

³

,

David Mendelowitz

^4,*

and

Matthew W. Kay

^1,*

¹

Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA

²

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA

³

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

⁴

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Biomedicines 2026, 14(6), 1263; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061263

Submission received: 19 February 2026 / Revised: 28 May 2026 / Accepted: 28 May 2026 / Published: 1 June 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Mechanisms, Comorbidities, and Optimization of Emerging and Established Therapies)

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Abstract

Current diagnostic methods for OSA and CSA are costly, unreliable, and the therapeutic options are limited, with varying efficacy across patients. As the prevalence of sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease continue to rise, identifying innovative therapies through advances in biomedicine and personalized medicine has become increasingly critical. This review discusses the mechanistic links between sleep apnea and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes from a technical perspective, focusing on innovations currently applied to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, and opportunities for further advancement in the field.

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea; central sleep apnea; continuous positive airway pressure; cardiovascular disease; precision medicine; nerve stimulation; epigenetics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Alber, B.R.; Cheung, E.C.; Russo, R.; Jain, V.; Schunke, K.J.; Mendelowitz, D.; Kay, M.W. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches. Biomedicines 2026, 14, 1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061263

AMA Style

Alber BR, Cheung EC, Russo R, Jain V, Schunke KJ, Mendelowitz D, Kay MW. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches. Biomedicines. 2026; 14(6):1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061263

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alber, Bridget R., Emily C. Cheung, Rebekah Russo, Vivek Jain, Kathryn Jaques Schunke, David Mendelowitz, and Matthew W. Kay. 2026. "Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches" Biomedicines 14, no. 6: 1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061263

APA Style

Alber, B. R., Cheung, E. C., Russo, R., Jain, V., Schunke, K. J., Mendelowitz, D., & Kay, M. W. (2026). Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches. Biomedicines, 14(6), 1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061263

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches

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