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Erythrocyte sedimentation rate may help predict severity of obstructive sleep apnea

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies have shown a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a representative marker for inflammation. We aimed to elucidate the possible association between elevated ESR and OSA severity.

Methods

A total of 341 patients who visited a sleep center were retrospectively enrolled. Subjects underwent physical examination, overnight polysomnography (PSG), and blood sampling for ESR and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). We compared the ESR and hs-CRP level to OSA severity and measured their correlation with other PSG parameters.

Results

The ESR was significantly higher in patients with severe OSA (apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 30) than those with simple snoring (AHI < 5; P = 0.016), mild OSA (5 ≤ AHI < 15; P = 0.010), and moderate OSA (15 ≤ AHI < 30; P = 0.042). Similarly, the hs-CRP level in patients with severe OSA was significantly higher than that in patients with simple snoring (P = 0.006) and mild OSA (P = 0.013). Multivariate analysis also showed that elevated ESR was associated with moderate and severe OSA (adjusted OR = 2.231 (P = 0.048) and 2.606 (P = 0.002), respectively) after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. However, elevated hs-CRP was not associated with the OSA severity.

Conclusions

ESR more closely correlated with PSG parameters recorded during sleep hypoxic episodes than hs-CRP. Moreover, the ESR may be useful to predict the OSA severity because moderate and severe OSA were independently associated with an elevated ESR.

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The authors have no support or funding to report.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, National Police Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Woo Hyun Lee

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 464-707, South Korea

    Jee Hye Wee, Chae-Seo Rhee & Jeong-Whun Kim

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea

    In-Young Yoon

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  1. Woo Hyun Lee
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  2. Jee Hye Wee
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Correspondence to Jeong-Whun Kim.

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Lee, W.H., Wee, J.H., Rhee, CS. et al. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate may help predict severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 20, 419–424 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-015-1245-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-015-1245-4

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