Association of dyslipidemia and hypoxemia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome: a cross-sectional study

Am J Transl Res. 2022 Nov 15;14(11):8263-8270. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Objective: Studies have shown that dyslipidemia may contribute to chronic tissue hypoxia. However, it remains unclear whether dyslipidemia affects chronic hypoxia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Therefore, from a clinical practice perspective, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dyslipidemia on chronic hypoxia in OSAHS patients.

Method: In athis cross-sectional survey, 320 consecutive OSAHS patients were enrolled. By screening under different conditions, 211 patients were finally enrolled in the study. Patients were grouped according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), into a mild-to-moderate (AHI < 30) group and severe OSAHS group (AHI ≥ 30).

Results: Comparative analysis shows that 45% of mild-to-moderate OSAHS patients had severe hypoxemia. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that AHI, triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) had independent effects on lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO2), and that AHI and TG levels had independent effects on mean oxygen saturation (MSpO2). The patients were stratified by AHI and further grouped by TG and HDL-C abnormalities in each subgroup. A difference analysis showed that LSpO2 and MSpO2 were significantly decreased in OSAHS patients with dyslipidemia (high TG and low HDL-C levels) in the AHI ≥ 30 subgroup (P < 0.05). Finally, in order to further clarify the impact of the selected indicators of hypoxemia in OSAHS patients with different degrees of airway obstruction, subgroup analysis was conducted based on OSAHS severity. In the AHI < 30 subgroup, LSpO2 was significantly decreased in patients with abnormal HDL-C.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that abnormalities in TG and HDL-C, in addition to upper airway obstruction, are among the factors that aggravate chronic hypoxia in tissues from OSAHS patients.

Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome; cross-sectional study; dyslipidemia; hypoxemia.