Erythrocyte Distribution Width and Central Corneal Thickness in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Abstract

Objective:Tissue hypoxia results in an increased erythrocyte distribution width (EDW) and secondary ocular complications in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Thus, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between EDW and central corneal thickness (CCT) in patients with varying OSAS severities.Materials and Methods:This study included 70 patients with OSAS (23 mild, 22 moderate, and 25 severe cases) and 30 healthy participants. EDW was measured using an automated blood cell counter. CCTs were measured by spectral-domain optic coherence tomography.Results:The EDW values were significantly higher in patients with severe OSAS than with moderate (p=0.042) and mild (p=0.015) OSAS. Additionally, EDW values were significantly higher in the control group than in patients with mild (p=0.011) and moderate OSAS (p=0.038). The control group and the patient group did not significantly differ in the mean CCT values (p=0.45/p=0.14). No statistically significant correlation was found between EDW and CCT values in the control group (r=-0.22, p=0.25) or patient group (r=-0.1, p=0.63). The correlations between RDW and apnea-hypopnea index (r=0.334, p=0.001) and minimal oxygen saturation (r=-0.29, p=0.004) were statistically significant.Conclusion:Our study revealed that EDW was higher in patients with OSAS than control group. Therefore, EDW can be used as an important diagnostic tool for the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis risk in patients with OSAS. The required metabolic activity for the sustainability of corneal transparency is thought to be affected by hypoxia in OSAS.

Keywords

• obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
• erythrocyte distribution width
• central corneal thickness