Gender, nocturnal hypoxia, and arousal influence brainstem auditory evoked potentials in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Purpose: Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) outcomes in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients are inconsistent in some studies because the affecting factors are not well controlled. This study aimed to evaluate BAEP of male and female patients with moderate and severe OSAS and further assess the possible factors influencing BAEP abnormalities.

Methods: Polysomnography were applied to 118 subjects, composed of 84 OSAS patients and 34 control subjects (22 male, 12 female), during the night. OSAS groups included 40 moderate (32 male, 8 female) and 44 sever (36 male, 8 female) OSAS patients. Binaural BAEPs were performed for every subject before polysomnography. The comparison of BAEP among control, moderate, and severe OSAS groups was performed according to different gender. Independent sample t test was used to examine the difference between male and female groups. Pearson's correlation was applied between BAEP parameters and age, body mass index, and sleep-related data in OSAS group.

Results: Prolonged latencies of waves I, III, and V were observed in OSAS patients. They were significantly correlated with apnea hypopnea index, arousal index, and hypoxia-related parameters. Compared to female patients, male patients had longer latencies of waves III and V. For severe male OSAS patients, BAEP of right ear showed additional prolongations of IPLs of I-III and I-V than that of left ear, and the IPL of I-III was correlated with the severity of hypoxia.

Conclusions: Moderate and severe OSAS patients showed abnormal BAEP which could be influenced by gender, nocturnal hypoxia, and arousal.

Keywords: Arousal; Brainstem auditory evoked potential; Chronic intermittent hypoxia; Gender; Obstructive sleep apnea.