How sleep-related breathing problems affect heart and artery health in young college students
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Associated Pathologic Cardiovascular Phenotypes in Young Individuals: A Comprehensive and Longitudinal Analysis of At-Risk College-Aged Students
['FUNDING_R01'] · EMORY UNIVERSITY · NIH-11298990
This project follows college-aged students, especially athletes, to see how obstructive sleep apnea affects early heart and artery health and whether treating it can reverse those changes.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | EMORY UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (ATLANTA, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11298990 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will do sleep tests and heart and artery measurements now and at intervals over several years so they can watch for early changes. They plan to enroll college-aged people — including American-style football players and other athletes — who may be at higher risk for sleep apnea and collect blood samples and imaging or functional heart tests. People found to have obstructive sleep apnea may be offered standard treatment so the team can see if early heart and vessel changes get better with therapy. The goal is to learn whether spotting and treating sleep apnea early can prevent longer-term cardiovascular problems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are college-aged individuals, particularly collegiate athletes or others with risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea.
Not a fit: People with long-standing or advanced cardiovascular disease and older adults with irreversible heart damage are unlikely to benefit directly from this study's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea early in young people prevents or reverses early heart and artery damage.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials treating OSA in older adults generally did not improve cardiovascular outcomes, so this longitudinal focus on younger people is a newer approach with promising preliminary data but not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
ATLANTA, UNITED STATES
- EMORY UNIVERSITY — ATLANTA, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: KIM, JONATHAN HO-YOUN — EMORY UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: KIM, JONATHAN HO-YOUN
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 below.