Oxidative stress in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular consequences, including accelerated atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. Increased lipid peroxidation, a marker of oxidative stress, has been identified in adults with OSA in a severity-dependent manner, with attenuation following treatment with continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Studies on oxidative stress in children with OSA are sparse and results are inconclusive. The objective of this study was to compare lipid peroxidation in children with OSA to non-OSA children.

A prospective cross-sectional study of 26 children with polysomnography-confirmed OSA (oAHI ≥ 5/h TST) was conducted. Thirty age- and body mass index z-score-matched children with primary snoring (PS) served as a comparison group (oAHI ≤ 1/h TST). Fasting blood samples were obtained on the morning following the sleep study. Plasma oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

There were no group differences in patient characteristics and their lipid profiles. The mean oxLDL levels of the OSA group were significantly higher than those of the comparison group (53.1 ± 13.0 vs. 45.7 ± 10.0 U/L, respectively, p = 0.02). There was a significant positive correlation between plasma oxLDL and the apnea hypopnea index (r = 0.29, p = 0.03) and between oxLDL and the oxygen desaturation index (r = 0.51, p = 0.003), and a significant negative correlation between SpO2 nadir and oxLDL (r = -0.29, p = 0.03).

OSA in children is associated with increased lipid peroxidation in a severity-dependent manner. Lipid peroxidation levels correlate with the degree of intermittent hypoxia.