Obstructive sleep apnoea is independently associated with the metabolic syndrome but not insulin resistance state
2006

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Metabolic Syndrome

Sample size: 79 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Gruber A, Horwood F, Sithole J, Ali NJ, Idris I

Primary Institution: Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottinghamshire, Mansfield, UK

Hypothesis

Is obstructive sleep apnoea independently associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance?

Conclusion

Obstructive sleep apnoea is independently associated with metabolic syndrome but not with insulin resistance.

Supporting Evidence

  • Subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to controls (74% vs 24%).
  • Logistic regression showed that patients with obstructive sleep apnoea were 5.9 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome.
  • The study found that waist circumference could predict metabolic syndrome in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Takeaway

People with obstructive sleep apnoea are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, which is a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, but they are not necessarily insulin resistant.

Methodology

The study recruited 38 subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea and 41 controls, measuring various health parameters after an overnight fast.

Potential Biases

Potential confounding due to exclusion of patients on glucose or lipid-lowering treatments.

Limitations

The study did not include matched control subjects and may have confounding factors due to the small number of patients on antihypertensive drugs.

Participant Demographics

The study included 38 patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and 41 controls, with a mean age of approximately 51 years for OSA patients.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.002

Confidence Interval

95% CI 1.96–17.63

Statistical Significance

p < 0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1475-2840-5-22

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