The relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea

• Published in: Sleep & breathing Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 217 - 221
• Main Authors: Firat Guven, Selma, Turkkani, Mustafa Hamidullah, Ciftci, Bulent, Ulukavak Ciftci, Tansu, Erdogan, Yurdanur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-03-2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Atherosclerosis - blood; Atherosclerosis - diagnosis; Atherosclerosis - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Body Mass Index; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnosis; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cerebrovascular Disorders - blood; Cerebrovascular Disorders - diagnosis; Cerebrovascular Disorders - etiology; Dentistry; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Obesity; Original Article; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Polysomnography; Proteins; Reference Values; Risk Factors; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - blood; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - complications; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep. Vigilance; Statistics as Topic; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract; Turkey; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Turkey; Obesity; High-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Cardiovascular diseases; Obstructive sleep apnea; Cerebrovascular diseases; Nervous system diseases; Sleep apnea syndrome; C-reactive protein; Respiratory disease; Nutrition disorder; Sleep disorder; Cardiovascular disease; High-sensitivity; Cerebral disorder; Sensitivity; Sleep; Central nervous system disease; Sleep wake cycle; Neurological disorder; C reactive protein; Nutritional status; Cerebrovascular disease
• ISSN: 1520-9512; 1522-1709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11325-011-0492-2

Background and objective
There is an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker that predicts atherosclerotic complications. However, there are contradictory results about the correlation between serum hs-CRP levels and OSA severity. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the relationship between hs-CRP levels and the severity of OSA in newly diagnosed OSA patients.
Methods
The study group was composed of 76 patients with clinical suspicion of OSA. Subjects with body mass indexes (BMI) ≥30 kg/m
2
were classified as obese. Full-night polysomnography (PSG) was performed on all patients. Patients with an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5 were considered to have OSA, and patients with an AHI < 5 were accepted as the control group. Blood samples were taken from all patients to analyze serum hs-CRP levels the morning after PSG.
Results
The serum hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in the OSA group (4.03 ± 3.58 mg/L) than in the control group (2.41 ± 1.95 mg/L) (
p
 = 0.013). This high level was positively correlated with BMI (
r
 = 0.376,
p
 = 0.001) and with AHI (
r
 = 0.280,
p
 = 0.014). In multiple regression analysis, elevated hs-CRP levels were associated with AHI (
F
 = 3.293,
p
 = 0.033), which was independent of obesity.
Conclusions
Patients with OSA have elevated serum levels of hs-CRP, a marker for inflammation and an independent risk predictor for cardiovascular morbidity. The severity of OSA is responsible for the elevation of hs-CRP.