Obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with decreased insulin sensitivity in women

¹ Dept of Medical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology
² Dept of Medical Sciences, Internal Medicine; Uppsala University, Sweden

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jenny.theorell-haglow{at}medsci.uu.se.

	Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess associations between obstructive sleep apnoea and insulin sensitivity in a population-based sample of women.

Women aged 20–70 years (n=400) underwent a full-night polysomnography, fasting blood sampling, measurement of anthropometric variables and oral glucose tolerance test with measurement of the insulin response (n=358). The apnoea-hypopnoea-index was calculated from the results of the polysomnography. From the results of the oral glucose tolerance test, an insulin sensitivity index was calculated.

Women with an apnoea-hypopnoea-index <5 (n=119) had a mean insulin sensitivity index of 8.3 (±3.8), whereas women with apnoea-hypopnoea-index 30 (n=34) had a mean insulin sensitivity index of 6.2 (±4.0) (p for trend<0.0001). Nocturnal minimal saturation was independently associated with decreased insulin sensitivity when controlling for age, waist-hip-ratio, level of physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption (=0.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.004, 0.14). When adjusting for confounders, the apnoea-hypopnoea-index was associated with increased fasting and two hour insulin levels (=0.56; 95% CI 0.14, 0.99 and =3.38; 95% CI 0.28, 6.47, respectively).

Obstructive sleep apnoea was independently associated with decreased insulin sensitivity in this population-based sample of women.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Levy, M. R. Bonsignore, and J. Eckel Sleep, sleep-disordered breathing and metabolic consequences Eur. Respir. J., July 1, 2009; 34(1): 243 - 260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]