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The effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and snoring severity to intima-media thickening of carotid artery

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Abstract

Introduction

Intima-media thickening (IMT), which is the early finding of carotid artery atherosclerosis, has been shown to be associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In our study, we aimed to assess prospectively the effect of severity of OSAS and snoring on carotid artery IMT.

Methods

A total of 102 patients who were admitted to sleep laboratory between May 2011 and May 2012 were included in the study. All patients were examined by polysomnography. Common carotid arteries (CCA) and internal carotid arteries (ICA) were evaluated for IMT by carotid Doppler ultrasonography.

Results

The mean age was 45.9 ± 11.1, with 40 (39.2 %) women and 62 (60.8 %) men. Of 88 OSAS patients who had an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) of >5, 33 (37.5 %) had mild, 20 (22.7 %) had moderate, and 35 (39.8 %) had severe disease. Fourteen patients who had AHI <5 were designated as the habitual snoring group. IMT was detected in 17 (16.7 %) of all patients. In patients with severe OSAS, CCA walls were thicker (p = 0.040) and IMT ratios were higher (p = 0.019) compared to mild/moderate OSAS patients. In patients with IMT, age, AHI, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and snoring index were higher compared to patients without IMT (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Carotid artery IMT, which is an early finding of atherosclerosis, was found to be highly correlated with OSAS and snoring severity.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in relation to this article. There is no conflict of interest between coauthors of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chest Diseases Clinic, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Research and Teaching Hospital, Yazmaci Tahir sk. Polat Sitesi B/Blok No. 42/23 Catalcesme/Bostanci/Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey

    Banu Salepci, Ali Fidan, Elif Torun Parmaksiz, Sevda Sener Comert, Nesrin Kiral, Ulku Aka Akturk & Benan Caglayan

  2. Radiology Department, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Research and Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Suhendan Cosan Ketenci

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey

    Egehan Salepci

Authors
  1. Banu Salepci
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  2. Ali Fidan
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  3. Suhendan Cosan Ketenci
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  9. Egehan Salepci
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Correspondence to Banu Salepci.

Additional information

Banu Salepci, Medical Doctor, did the conceptualization, design, polysomnographic scoring, analysis, writing, data collection, and processing. Ali Fidan, Medical Doctor, did the statistical analysis. Suhendan Cosan Ketenci, Medical Doctor, did the carotid artery Doppler practice and processing. Elif Torun Parmaksiz, Medical Doctor, did the data collection and writing. Sevda Sener Comert, Medical Doctor, did the literature review. Nesrin Kiral, Medical Doctor, did the data collection and processing. Ulku Aka Akturk, Medical Doctor, did the literature review. Benan Caglayan, Associate Professor, Medical Doctor, did the critical review and supervision. Egehan Salepci, Medical Student, did the writing and translation.

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Salepci, B., Fidan, A., Ketenci, S.C. et al. The effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and snoring severity to intima-media thickening of carotid artery. Sleep Breath 19, 239–246 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1002-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1002-0

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