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Increased inflammatory response associated with daytime sleepiness

Increased inflammatory response was linked with daytime sleepiness and apnea-hypopnea index, while obstructive sleep apnea was not associated with irregularities in oxidative stress markers in a recent study.

Researchers from Brazil conducted a cross-sectional study on 35 men without diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome from the Cardiovascular Metabolism Center and the Sleep Clinic at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo. Eleven participants were volunteer controls; the others had moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Each participant underwent an overnight polysomnography and accompanying tests to determine awakenings as well as respiratory events and severity of OSA.

Participants with OSA and excessive daytime sleepiness — Epworth sleepiness scores of at least 10 — were more likely to have higher BMI (P < .01), waist circumferences (P < .05), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P <. 05) and more respiratory events (P < .05) than the controls and participants with OSA but no excessive daytime sleepiness.

“We were able to demonstrate that middle-aged males with moderate to severe OSA, without metabolic dysfunction, had no abnormalities on studied oxidative stress markers,” the researchers wrote. “However, increased inflammatory response was found in OSA patients who exhibited daytime sleepiness.”

The researchers said the study was limited by the exclusion of women and its small sample size. – by Ryan McDonald

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.