Relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and metabolic syndrome after adjustment with cardiovascular risk factors

AimsIt is important to identify the risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in order to prevent the development of cardio-/cerebrovascular diseases. The authors estimated the risk factors for the development of MetS with special emphasis on the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).MethodsWe conducted as a cross-sectional study in subjects undergoing intensive health examination (581 men aged 33–84 years). Diagnosis of MetS was based on the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel.ResultsThe prevalence of MetS in subjects with severe SDB, which was defined as an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) of 30 or higher, was 40.7%, which was significantly higher than that in the subjects without severe SDB (29.3%). The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the logarithmic-transformed AHI for MetS was 1.6 (1.1–2.4) after adjustments for age, serum uric acid, logarithmic-transformed serum C-reactive protein, smoking history, exercise history and alcohol history. When the subjects were categorized by the severity of SDB, the OR (95% CI) of severe SDB, which was the only category that showed significant association, was 2.2 (1.2–4.0).ConclusionA significant association was observed between severe SDB and the presence of MetS in the subjects (all male) of this study.