Effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on glycolipid metabolism and early atherosclerosis in diabetics

Abstract Objective To study the changes in glucose and lipid metabolism indexes and the condition of early atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) aged 32–50 years who did not have significant complications were included. A total of 42 patients with DM with OSAS and 46 patients with DM without OSAS were chosen according to their sleep monitoring indexes. Height and weight were measured, and fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO) and lipid profile were tested. Then, all the subjects were subjected to the pulse wave velocity (PWV) test. Results The levels of glycated haemoglobin and triglycerides were significantly higher in patients with DM with OSAS than those in patients with DM without OSAS. ET, NO and PWV changed significantly. Conclusion Patients with diabetes with OSAS are more likely to have complications related to arteriosclerosis and aggravation of glycolipid metabolism disorder. Early intervention is recommended.