Elevated Bisphenol A and IL-17A Levels in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Link Between Environmental Exposure and Systemic Inflammation

<bold>Introduction:</bold> This study examines the relationship between serum Bisphenol A (BPA) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) levels in newly diagnosed OSA patients and their correlation with disease severity. <bold>Method:</bold> This study included 78 patients with OSA and 35 non-apneic control subjects. After the sleep study, BPA and IL-17A levels were measured using a competitive enzyme immunoassay. <bold>Results:</bold> Among the participants, 83(73.5%) were male, with a mean age of 49.7±10.7 years. A statistically significant difference was observed between the control and OSA groups in terms of serum BPA (246.82[206.25–265.53] vs. 278.23[246.07–303.24], p<0.001) and IL-17A levels (54.05[47.93–57.62] vs. 58.27[52.92–61.67], p=0.04) (Fig 1a,1b). <fig><object-id>erj;66/suppl_69/PA3544/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig> When comparing BPA and IL-17A levels between the control and moderate-to-severe OSA groups, BPA levels showed a statistically significant difference, whereas IL-17A levels did not (Fig 1c,1d). A strong positive correlation was found between serum BPA and IL-17A levels (r=0.723, p<0.001). <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our findings indicate that OSA patients have elevated serum BPA and IL-17A levels, suggesting a potential link between environmental exposure and systemic inflammation. The strong correlation between BPA and IL-17A levels highlights the possible influence of BPA on inflammatory pathways in OSA.