Scientific programme

To reach our objective we propose the following activities:

-?????? establish a common protocol to be adopted by all participating Centres for data collection at baseline and during clinical follow-up of treated and untreated OSAS patients, in order to cross-sectionally and prospectively assess the association between OSAS and cardiovascular morbidity in a sufficiently large patient sample representative of the European population;

-?????? set up a European working group on epidemiology and genetics of OSAS and its complications, and to coordinate studies in existing cohorts and possibly identify markers of increased risk;

-?????? assemble and publish on a dedicated website a directory of European laboratories dedicated to diagnosis and treatment of OSAS and its cardiovascular consequences. Investigators working on similar or complementary clinical and research issues will thus be able to establish cooperation and exchanges. Outside members will also get the information to communicate with the identified groups thus potentiating the European Network;

-?????? by means of the above directory and the knowledge of published and in press papers and progressed activities, the Management Committee will set up a list of reference laboratories for specific research issues on cardiovascular complications in OSAS.? Investigators of these laboratories will be in charge of spreading information on recent key findings, relevant publications, and diagnostic applications through organization of specific workshops;

-?????? specialized investigators will cooperate in setting up or updating guidelines for diagnosis of OSAS, evaluation of cardiovascular risk, and medicolegal implications of daytime somnolence which will be published in the international literature together with related joint studies generated within the network.

General and specific topics will be addressed. In accordance with the scheme of this COST Action, two main scientific areas are proposed:

-?????? Clinical area: controlled follow-up studies in treated and untreated OSAS (longitudinal assessment of risk for cardiovascular complications and effects of treatment in a large European patient sample); development of a protocol to assess cardiovascular risk in OSAS patients at diagnosis and during follow-up; evaluation of daytime somnolence and medicolegal implications.

-?????? Research area: studies on the pathogenetic mechanisms of increased cardiovascular risk in OSAS (inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic derangements associated with exposure to intermittent hypoxia); epidemiology and genetics of OSAS.