Plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and insulin-like growth factor I levels in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

We aimed to assess whether obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) affects plasma IGF-1 and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) levels in men, factors implicated in the development of age-related metabolic disorders.

We conducted a cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical study.

We measured plasma IGF-1 and DHEA-S levels in 191 non-drug-treated Japanese men (34 primary snorers (PS), 88 patients with mild-to-moderate OSAS and 69 patients severe OSAS ).

Plasma IGF-1 and DHEA-S were negatively correlated with age. Plasma IGF-1 was also negatively correlated with plasma glucose, HOMA-IR and systolic blood pressure and apnoea parameters such as the apnoea-hypopnea index, minimum oxygen saturation and slow-wave sleep (SWS) time. Plasma DHEA-S was associated with plasma glucose, HbA1c and free fatty acid and was negatively correlated with SWS time. To eliminate the influence of age, PS, patients with mild-to-moderate OSAS and severe OSAS were divided into three groups by age: young (<40 years), middle-aged (40-59 years) and elderly (≥ 60 years). Patients with severe OSAS aged <40 or <60 years had lower plasma IGF-1 or DHEA-S levels, respectively, than did the corresponding snorers and mild-to-moderate OSAS groups. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy for generally 16-18 months increased plasma IGF-1 levels in patients with severe OSAS aged <40 years (n = 18). Plasma DHEA-S levels were increased in patients with severe OSAS aged <60 years, whose DHEA-S level was below the mean value for that age (n = 23/41).

Severe OSAS could reduce plasma IGF-1 and DHEA-S levels in younger, but not elderly Japanese men, which is potentially associated with the development of metabolic abnormalities.