Poorer Diabetic Control in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Post date: May 15, 2015 9:37:26 PM

A large multinational European study (ESADA) looking at the impact of obstructive sleep apnea on glycemic control in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) showed that T2DM prevalence increased with OSA severity, from 6.6% in subjects without OSA to 28.9% in those with severe OSA. After accounting for obesity and other confounding variables, a comparison with non-apneic patients found that the odds ratio for T2DM in mild, moderate and severe apnea were 1.33, 1.73 and 1.87 (P < .001), respectively. The severity of OSA also correlated with glycemic control: severe OSA patients had mean HbA1c levels that were 0.72% higher than those in diabetic patients without sleep-disordered breathing. The study authors concluded that sleep apnea severity is associated with an increased chance of co-existing Type 2 diabetes mellitus and with worse diabetic control.

Source: Kent, Brian D., et al. "Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence and Control in Sleep-Disordered Breathing: The European Sleep Apnea Cohort (ESADA) Study."CHEST Journal 146.4 (2014): 982-990.