Effects of CPAP (Continous Positive Airway Pressure) Treatment on Oxidative Stress and Pro-Inflammatory Process

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an independent risk factor for development of atherosclerotic processes because it leads to hypertension, impaired glucose metabolism, obesity and metabolic syndrome, cardiac diseases, elevated blood pressure, and increased level of cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine, and coagulation. Materials and Methods: Our aim was to evaluate presence of subclinical atherosclerosis prior to CPAP treatment in the patients with OSAS without any history of previous diseases and any pathological finding in their investigations. After obtaining approval from the Ethics Board, we planned to compare the results of investigations for risk factors for atherosclerosis (fasting blood glucose [FBG], total cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, thyroid function test, homocysteine, fibrinogen, high sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP]) before and after CPAP treatment and to examine the effect of CPAP treatment on these parameters between July 2013 and July 2015. Findings: Findings obtained before CPAP treatment (homocysteine, hsCRP, HbA1c, subclinical hypothyroidism) suggested subclinical atherosclerosis. In comparative evaluation between the findings before and after CPAP treatment, no statistically significant difference was found in levels of triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and fT4 (P = 0.346, 0.540, 0.060, respectively) whereas significant differences were found in leukocyte and platelet counts, hemoglobin level, fasting blood glucose, LDL-cholesterol, homocysteine, fibrinogen, fT3, TSH, CRP, and HbA1c (P = 0,003,-0,010,-0,000,-0,001,-0,008-0,004-0,000-0,000-0,0250,000- 0,000-0,000, respectively). Subclinical hypothyroidism was present in 12 (20%) patients before CPAP and in 5 (7%) patients after CPAP treatment. Conclusions: Improvement has been seen even in early markers of atherosclerosis with effective CPAP.