Effects of obstructive sleep apnea severity on serum lipid levels in Greek children with snoring

• Published in: Sleep & breathing 2011-12, Vol.15 (4), p.625-631
• Main Authors: Alexopoulos, Emmanouel I., Gletsou, Eleftheria, Kostadima, Eleni, Kaditis, Dimitrios, Zakynthinos, Epameinondas, Gourgoulianis, Konstantinos, Kaditis, Athanasios
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Child; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Dentistry; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Greece; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Humans; Internal Medicine; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Obesity - blood; Original Article; Otorhinolaryngology; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Polysomnography; Risk Factors; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - blood; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep. Vigilance; Snoring - blood; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract; Triglycerides - blood; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 1520-9512; 1522-1709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11325-010-0410-z

Background Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is related to dyslipidemia in adults, limited data are available regarding its effects on serum lipids during childhood. Aim of this study was to assess the potential relationships between severity of OSA and cholesterol or triglyceride levels in a cohort of Greek children. Methods Data from children with snoring who underwent polysomnography and complete serum lipids measurements during a specified study period were analyzed retrospectively. Results Overall, obese children ( n  = 261) had lower HDL cholesterol levels than non-obese subjects ( n  = 113) (49.6 ± 10.5 vs. 53.9 ± 11.4 mg/dL; p  = 0.001) and higher triglyceride concentrations (69.8 ± 32.2 vs. 63.2 ± 27 mg/dL; p  = 0.041). Non-obese subjects with moderate-to-severe OSA did not differ in triglycerides, total, and LDL cholesterol concentrations but had lower HDL cholesterol, when compared to non-obese children with primary snoring/mild OSA (50.4 ± 13.1 vs. 54.9 ± 10.7 mg/dL; p  = 0.008). The risk for having low HDL cholesterol (≤40 mg/dL) was threefold higher in non-obese subjects with moderate-to-severe OSA than in those with primary snoring/mild OSA, even after adjustment for age and gender [OR = 3.44 (95% CI 1.44 to 8.24; p  = 0.006)]. Concentrations of serum lipids in obese children were not associated with severity of OSA. HDL cholesterol was 48.5 ± 8.7 mg/dL in subjects with moderate-to-severe OSA and 50.0 ± 11.1 mg/dL in children with primary snoring/mild OSA ( p  = 0.519). Conclusions HDL cholesterol levels are inversely related to severity of OSA in non-obese children with snoring.