PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jose M. Marin
AU  - Jorge Artal
AU  - Maria Tª Martin
AU  - Javier Godino
AU  - Marta Marin-Oto
AU  - Victoria Gil
TI  - Circulating T cells and subclinical atherosclerosis in obstructive sleep apnea
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 4450
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/4450.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/4450.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Background. Because of intermittent hypoxia, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) may cause endothelial dysfunction and a shift towards a more pro-inflammatory lymphocyte phenotype. This may contribute to premature atherosclerosis.Aim. To determine the phenotype of circulating T-Cell populations and their relationship with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in OSA.Methods. At our sleep clinic we consecutively enrolled 132 adults (age: 20 to 55 year). Exclusion criteria were: history of tobacco or alcohol consumption, and any chronic disease. OSA diagnosis was made on the basis of an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) > 5. IMT was assessed in carotid arteries by high-resolution ultrasonography. On fresh samples we performed immunophenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cells using flow cytometry. Cells were stained for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25 and Foxp3+. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are defined as CD4+CD25+FOXP3+.Results. Non-OSA subjects (n = 40) were younger (42 vs 45 years, p = 0.03) and had a lower BMI (27.2 vs 30.1 kg/m2, p < 0.001) than OSA patients (n = 93). IMT was 0.57 ± 0.2 (95 percentile: 0.65 mm) and 0.67 ± 0.15 mm respectively (p<0.001). Abnormal IMT (> 0.65 mm) was identified in 48% of OSA group. There was no difference between groups of T cells except for Treg (7.9 ± 1.8% of all CD4+ in non-OSA vs 6.7 ± 1.4 % in OSA patients). IMT and Treg cells were related (r = -0.29, p =0.007). In multivariate regression analyses, age, systolic blood pressure and Treg, but not AHI were related with IMT.Conclusions. In OSA there are non-uniform changes in lymphocytic phenotypes that may contribute to subclinical atherosclerosis suggesting different epigenetic adaptation to apnea episodes(supported by FIS 12/02175).