Heart effects of having both sleep apnea and COPD
Official title: The cardiovascular consequences of sleep apnea plus COPD (Overlap syndrome)
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11163357 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how having both COPD and obstructive sleep apnea affects the heart and blood vessels in adults with these conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $776,366 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL166485-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163357 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (age 21 and older) who have COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, or both and who can undergo MRI scans and blood draws are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without COPD or sleep apnea, children, or those who cannot have MRI scans or blood tests would not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join, the team will compare heart and blood-vessel measures across adults who have COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, or both (overlap syndrome). They will use cardiac MRI, blood tests including plasma biomarkers and microRNAs, and tests of endothelial function to look for damage or stress on the right side of the heart. The researchers think repeated low oxygen during sleep may raise pulmonary vascular resistance and strain the right ventricle, and they will look for biological markers that explain this. The study will compare groups cross-sectionally and link findings to prior data suggesting some heart changes may reverse with treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors identify which patients with COPD and sleep apnea are at highest risk for heart complications and point to better-targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked COPD or sleep apnea to heart problems and suggest treating sleep apnea can improve outcomes, but combining cardiac MRI with microRNA and endothelial markers in overlap syndrome is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Malhotra, Atul — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Malhotra, Atul
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Overlap of sleep apnea and COPD and its heart effects
This grant looks at how having both COPD and sleep apnea affects the heart and whether treating sleep apnea can improve heart risk in people with overlap syndrome.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.