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The benefits of hypoglycemic therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often associated with glycemic abnormalities. This study is conducted to investigate the effects of hypoglycemic therapy on OSA-related indicators.

Method

We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for articles on OSA patients receiving any hypoglycemic drugs, published until December 25, 2022. Seven original studies were finally included. The proposal was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022351206).

Results

In summary, in addition to reduced glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), we found that hypoglycemic treatment can lower the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) by 7.07/h (p = 0.0001). Although long-term treatment (> 12 weeks) achieved a more significant reduction in HbA1c (− 1.57% vs. − 0.30%) compared to short-term treatment (≤ 12 weeks), there was no significant difference between the two in terms of AHI (intergroup p-value = 0.27). We also found that patients using sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) experienced a greater reduction in AHI (− 11.00/h, p < 0.00001). Additionally, hypoglycemic treatment also showed certain improvements in related indicators like Epworth Sleepiness Scale, body mass index, and blood pressure.

Conclusions

Our results affirm the benefits of hypoglycemic treatment for OSA patients and highlight the notable effect of SGLT2i. Further researches are needed to help doctors gain a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between OSA and glycemic abnormalities.

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Data availability

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 2023JJ20098), the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (No. 2023QNRC001), the Hunan Provincial Education Reform Project (No. HNJG-20230104), the Hunan Provincial Degree & Postgraduate Education Reform Project (No. 2023JGYB016, No. 2023JGYB026), the Undergraduate Education Reform Project of Central South University (No. 2023CG006, No. 2023CG015), the Degree & Postgraduate Education Reform Project of Central South University (No. 2023JGB002, No. 2023JGB019, No. 2024YJSKS001), and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (No. S202310533296).

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Author notes

  1. Ruihan Lin and Wenjie Yan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Ruihan Lin, Wenjie Yan, Meng He, Bin Liu, Xiaoli Su & Yuan Zhang

  2. National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Ruihan Lin, Wenjie Yan, Xiaoli Su & Yuan Zhang

  3. Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Ruihan Lin & Wenjie Yan

  4. School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Minhan Yi

  5. Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Ruihan Lin

  6. Department of Urology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Wenjie Yan

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  1. Ruihan Lin
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  2. Wenjie Yan
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiaoli Su, Minhan Yi or Yuan Zhang.

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Lin, R., Yan, W., He, M. et al. The benefits of hypoglycemic therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-024-03015-2

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