Changes in inflammatory mediators as a result of intermittent hypoxia in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of serum C-reactive protein(CRP), pentraxin-3(PTX-3), procalcitonin(ProCT), interleukin-33(IL-33) and its soluble receptor ST2(sST2) with the severity of the disease in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and to show theirs importance as inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: A total of 84 subjects undergoing polysomnography for suspected sleep disorder breathing were studied. Subjects were classified as 60 consecutive OSAS patients [(mean age: 47.1±11.9, Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI)>5 episodes per hour of sleep, 28 mild-to-moderate OSAS (AHI:5-30) and 32 severe OSAS(AHI>30)] and 24 consecutive healthy controls (mean age: 45.4±11.3;AHI Results: The PTX-3, IL-33 and sST2 were significantly higher in OSAS groups than the controls (p Conclusions: PTX-3 can be a new indicator reflecting the inflammatory state as a result of intermittent hypoxia in OSAS. The negative correlation between PTX-3 and MOS; increased PTX-3 could be having more hypoxic state during sleep and this can explain how it can increase the severity of the disease. PTX-3 may be used for evaluation of disease severity in OSAS for the purpose of clinical laboratory analysis. Further studies are needed to support our current findings.