Assessment of the role of serum ischemia-modified albumin in obstructive sleep apnea in comparison with interleukin-6

Objectives: There is limited and contradictory information regarding the role of serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In this study we examine the effects of OSA and obesity on IMA and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and detect whether IMA and IL-6 may be potential biomarkers in OSA.Methods: Fifty-one males who underwent all night polysomnography test were included into the study. Body-mass index (BMI) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of all patients were determined. Serum IMA and IL-6 levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count, routine blood biochemistry and thyroid function tests were performed.Results: Mean IMA [0.36 ( 0.04) U/ml, 0.89 (+/- 0.15) U/ml], mean IL-6 [1.01 (+/- 0.19) pg/ml, 2.02 (+/- 1.19) pg/ml] and mean ESR [4.14 (+/- 2.5) mm/h, 14.35 (+/- 13.7) mm/h] levels showed significant difference between non-OSA and OSA groups (P=0.005, P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). Sensitivity of IMA in distinction of non-OSA/OSA was equal to IL-6 and higher than ESR. IMA was also a stronger predictive factor than IL-6 and ESR in the evaluation of OSA groups (severe/mild/moderate OSA and non-OSA). IMA was the sole distinctive biomarker in assessment of obese and non-obese cases. IMA correlated with IL-6, AHI and ESR.Conclusion: Serum IMA may be a valuable oxidative stress indicator for OSA and could act as a better biomarker than IL-6 for reflecting the presence and the severity of OSA.