Comparison of Composite Lipid Indices in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, it is difficult to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with OSA due to multiple shared risk factors. Composite lipid indices, such as atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), visceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP) have been shown to predict cardiovascular disease better than their individual lipid components. This study aimed to evaluate these indices in patients with OSA.

Six hundred sixty-seven (667) patients with OSA and 139 non-OSA control volunteers participated in the study. Fasting serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were measured, and AIP, LAP and VAI were calculated following cardiorespiratory polygraphy. The relationship between lipid parameters, OSA and its comorbidities was evaluated using receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis.

We found a significant difference in all lipid parameters between OSA patients and controls. Comparing ROCs, LAP was significantly more strongly associated with OSA compared to all the other parameters. The optimal cut-off value for LAP to detect OSA was 76.4, with a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 76%. In addition, LAP was the best parameter to predict hypertension and diabetes in patients with OSA, and it was predictive for ischaemic heart disease together with HDL-C.

Our results support the use of LAP in clinical practice when evaluating cardiovascular risk in patients with OSA. However, the optimal cut-off value should be determined in large-scale follow-up studies.