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High Levels of Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients with Hypertension

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Hypertension induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be multifactorial in origin, and systemic inflammation is one of the major factors. However, OSA patients do not always have the identical probability with hypertension even in patients with the same history and degree of OSA. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of inflammation and insulin resistance in two groups of patients who had the same degree as well as the same long history of OSA, but with/without hypertension. OSA patients (Apnea Hyponea Index, AHI ≥ 40/h, n = 70) were examined by polysomnography and blood analysis for the measurements of fasting plasma glucose, serum insulin (FINS), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), peptide C,TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. Patients with hypertension (n = 40) had higher level of LDL-C and lower HDL-C levels than patients without hypertension. Almost half (16/40) of OSA patients with hypertension had family history of hypertension. Moreover in OSA patients with hypertension, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP were higher, but IL-10 was lower than those without hypertension. FINS, peptide C, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-islet were also higher in OSA patients with hypertension. OSA patients with hypertension have higher level of inflammation and insulin resistance. Systemic inflammation and insulin resistance are both important factors for the development of hypertension in OSA patients.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30971259).

Conflict of Interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatric Respiratory Disease, General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, No. 28 Fu Xing Road, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 100853

    Xiaoshun Qian, Tong Yin, Tianzhi Li, Chunyan Kang, Ruibiao Guo, Baojun Sun & Changting Liu

  2. Institute of Geriatric Cardiology, General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, No. 28 Fu Xing Road, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 100853

    Tong Yin

Authors
  1. Xiaoshun Qian
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  2. Tong Yin
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  3. Tianzhi Li
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  4. Chunyan Kang
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  5. Ruibiao Guo
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  6. Baojun Sun
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  7. Changting Liu
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Correspondence to Xiaoshun Qian or Tong Yin.

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Summary at glance

OSA patients with hypertension (n = 40) have higher level of inflammation and insulin resistance than OSA patients without hypertension (n = 30). Systemic inflammation and insulin resistance are both important factors for the development of hypertension in OSA patients.

Xiaoshun Qian and Tong Yin, as co-first authors, contribute equally to this manuscript.

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Qian, X., Yin, T., Li, T. et al. High Levels of Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients with Hypertension. Inflammation 35, 1507–1511 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-012-9464-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-012-9464-3

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