Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2026

A Model to Simulate Clinically Relevant Hypoxia in Humans
Published on: December 22, 2016
Hypobaric and intermittent hypoxia in pediatric OSA: Associations with cardiac stress
Diana Carolina De la Hoz Díaz-Granados1, Hernando Gaitán Duarte2, Elida Dueñas-Meza3
1Fundación Neumológica Colombiana, Carrera 13B No. 161-85, Bogotá, 110221, Colombia; Master's Program in Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45 No. 26-85, Bogotá, 111321, Colombia.
Objective:
To examine whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and its N-terminal fragment (proBNP/NT-proBNP), a blood marker of myocardial wall stress, and with echocardiographic measures of cardiac size and function in children living at high altitude.
Methods:
274 children aged 5-16 years living in Bogotá, Colombia (2660 m) underwent overnight polysomnography, from which OSA and hypoxic-burden measures (oxygen desaturation index, percentage of sleep time with oxygen saturation below 90%) were derived. Serum proBNP/NT-proBNP and interleukin-10 (IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and pediatric cardiologists performed echocardiography.
Statistical Analysis:
proBNP/NT-proBNP was analysed with median regression adjusted for sex and body mass index z-score; six echocardiographic outcomes were tested with Holm correction; hypoxic-burden and IL-10 analyses were exploratory.
Results:
187 (68%) children had OSA. Median proBNP/NT-proBNP was higher with OSA (adjusted ratio of medians 1.56, 95% confidence interval 1.02-2.39). No echocardiographic outcome differed after correction (all Holm-adjusted p ≥ 0.14). In exploratory analyses, a higher oxygen desaturation index was associated with higher proBNP/NT-proBNP (p = 0.014), but this did not remain after false-discovery-rate correction (q = 0.22). IL-10 analyses were exploratory.
Conclusions:
In children living at 2660 m, OSA was associated with higher proBNP/NT-proBNP but not with echocardiographic differences. Longitudinal, multi-altitude studies are needed.
More Related Videos
09:13Hypoxia Alters miRNAs Levels Involved in Non-Mendelian Inheritance of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mice
Published on: July 11, 2025
05:45Delivery of In Vivo Acute Intermittent Hypoxia in Neonatal Rodents to Prime Subventricular Zone-derived Neural Progenitor Cell Cultures
Published on: November 2, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include:
Hyperpnea and Hyperventilation
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Oxygen Therapy for Respiratory Failure
Oxygen therapy is vital in increasing and maintaining blood oxygen levels in PAH patients. As a result, it aids in reducing fatigue, improving...
Hypoxia
Types of Hypoxia
There are four primary types of hypoxia, each resulting from a different cause:
1. Anemic hypoxia: This type occurs due to insufficient oxygen delivery caused by a lack of red blood cells (RBCs) or RBCs with abnormal or...
Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
Special considerations while measuring oxygen saturation
Ensuring accuracy in vital sign recordings while prioritizing patient comfort and minimizing anxiety is important.