Abstract:Objective To investigate the risk factors for atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension complicated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and to construct a risk prediction model and to verify its effectiveness.Methods The clinical data of 1014 patients with hypertension complicated with OSAHS admitted to the Department of Hypertension of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from December 2019 to December 2021 were selected. The ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) was calculated by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. In strict accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 380 patients were finally included. The patients were randomly divided into the modeling group (n = 266) and the validation group (n = 114), and those in the modeling group were further divided into the study group (AASI > 0.55) and the control group (AASI ≤ 0.55) according to whether the patients had atherosclerosis. The independent factors affecting the occurrence of arteriosclerosis were screened by univariable analysis and multivariable Logistic regression analysis, based on which the nomogram was constructed. The predictive performance, calibration, and clinical applicability of the model were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), calibration curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test, decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve, respectively.Results There was no difference in gender composition, age, history of hypertension, history of alcohol consumption, family history, body mass index (BMI), levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), levels of uric acid (UA), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), 24-hour average systolic blood pressure (SBP), 24-hour average diastolic blood pressure (DBP), daytime average systolic blood pressure, daytime average diastolic blood pressure, nighttime average systolic blood pressure, nighttime average diastolic blood pressure, mean blood oxygen saturation (MSaO2), lowest blood oxygen saturation (LSaO2), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and AASI between the modeling group and the validation group (P > 0.05). The gender composition, age, history of alcohol consumption, family history, BMI, levels of BUN and Cr, eGFR, levels of UA, TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, AST and ALT, 24-hour average DBP, dSBP, dDBP, nSBP and MSaO2 were not different between the study group and the control group (P > 0.05). There were differences in the level of FBG, 24-hour average SBP, nDBP, LSaO2, AHI, IMT, and duration of hypertension between the two groups of patients (P < 0.05). The multivariable Logistic regression analysis denoted that the level of FBG [O^R =1.375 (95% CI: 1.058, 1.786) ], 24-hour average SBP [O^R = 1.019 (95% CI: 1.001, 1.038)], duration of hypertension [O^R = 2.721 (95% CI: 1.302, 5.687) ], IMT [O^R = 2.197 (95% CI: 1.104, 4.372) ] and AHI [O^R = 2.657 (95% CI: 1.441, 4.899) ] were independent factors affecting atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension complicated with OSAHS (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC of the modeling group was 0.741 (95% CI: 0.675, 0.807), with a sensitivity of 68.1% (95% CI: 0.573, 0.788) and a specificity of 71.6% (95% CI: 0.653, 0.780), and that the AUC of the validation group was 0.771 (95% CI: 0.681, 0.861), with a sensitivity of 78.1% (95% CI: 0.638, 0.924) and a specificity of 63.4% (95% CI: 0.530, 0.738). The calibration curve and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test demonstrated that the predicted results of the model were in good agreement with the actual results. Decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve verified the clinical applicability of the nomogram.Conclusions The factors affecting atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension complicated with OSAHS include the level of FBG, 24-hour average SBP, duration of hypertension, IMT and AHI. The risk prediction model based on these factors could identify high-risk groups for developing atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension complicated with OSAHS, and provide clinical guidance for early prevention and treatment.