Elevated levels of serum chemerin in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Context: Chemerin is implicated to be correlated with obesity and inflammation. Objective: This study aims to investigate whether serum chemerin is associated with the presence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods: A total of 132 patients with OSAS and 108 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Results: Serum chemerin levels were significantly elevated in OSAS patients (120.93 +/- 25.84 mu g/L vs. 107.51 +/- 20.41 mu g/L). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that serum chemerin levels were an independent determinant of the presence of OSAS (OR 1.030, 95% CI 1.016-1.045; p < 0.001). Serum chemerin levels in severe OSAS patients were significantly higher compared with those in mild and moderate OSAS patients (p = 0.015 and p = 0.020, respectively). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that serum chemerin levels were correlated with the severity of OSAS (r = 0.210, p = 0.016). Serum chemerin were positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.164, p = 0.008), body mass index (r = 0.158, p = 0.014), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.135, p = 0.037), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (r = 0.140, p = 0.031), C-reactive protein (r = 0.202, p = 0.002), and apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.152, p = 0.022). Conclusion: Elevated serum chemerin levels could be an independent predicting marker of the presence and severity of OSAS.