Hormonal profile analysis in patients of obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction: People with obstructivesleep apnea / hypoapnea have disturbed sleep cycle due to partial or total airway collapse in sleep which leads to metabolic changes and abnormalities in secretion of various hormones.Materials and Methods : This study included 125 subjects, out of whom 65 were test subjects with AHI >5 and 60 were control subjects with AHI <5> Results: In this study out of 65 cases, 9 patients had mild OSA (13.8%), 22 patients had moderate OSA (33.8%), and 34 patients had severe OSA respectively (52.4%). Highest AHI of 40.86 ± 13.11/h was observed in obesity class IV patients. Testosterone level was on the lower side of normal with a further decreasing trend with increasing obesity severity. Mean value of estradiol and progesterone in both pre and post menopausal women was on lower side of normal which further decreased with increasing grades of obesity and the correlation was statistically significant. Similarly mean level of FSH and LH in males, pre and post menopausal females was lowest in patients of severe OSA.Conclusion: This study conclude that increasing OSA severity is associated with lower levels of Testosterone, Estrogen, leutinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, progesterone.The recognition and understanding of the complex interactions between hormones and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may allow a multidisciplinary approach for Effective assessment and management of OSAS and correction of endocrine disturbances in obese patients .Further interventional studies are required to determine wether treating these endocrine abnormalities have any effect on the severity of OSA.