Egyptian Journal of Chest Disease and Tuberculosis (Jan 2019)
Study of leptin and ghrelin serum levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea
Abstract
Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is strongly associated with obesity and inflammation. Adipose tissue is not simply an inactive storage depot for lipids but is also an active endocrine organ that plays a crucial role regarding endocrine, metabolic, and inflammatory signals of which leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, and resistin play an important role in body homeostasis. So, we aimed to study leptin and ghrelin serum levels in OSA patients. Patients and methods The study included 15 healthy control participants and 30 patients diagnosed with OSA. All patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, and polysomnography. Manual analysis and scoring were performed using the criteria established by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Results Patient’s serum leptin ranged between 11.4 and 66.4 ng/ml with a mean±SD of 33.303±15.728 while in control participants it ranged between 0.5 and 34.7 ng/ml with a mean±SD of 10.467±10.339. Patient’s serum ghrelin ranged between 103.5 and 6673 pg/ml with a mean±SD of2034.527±1815.687 while in control participants it ranged between 976 and 2184 pg/ml with a mean±SD of 1682.467±334.064. Leptin levels were statistically significantly higher in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAH) patients versus control participants. Leptin levels statistically significantly correlated with some indices of obesity hypoventilation syndrome severity, that is, apnea–hypopnea index and desaturation index. Leptin levels statistically significantly correlated with a variety of anthropometric measurements, including BMI and neck circumference. Leptin levels statistically significantly correlated with serum triglyceride levels. Regression analysis showed that the best predicting variables for leptin levels were the lowest oxygen saturation, average SaO2, sleep time with oxygen saturation of less than 90% (t90%) and BMI. There was no statistically significant difference between the two studied groups regarding serum ghrelin levels and no statistically significant correlation was found between serum ghrelin and any parameter.
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