title: Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing and plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in children.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be one of the pathophysiologic links in the association between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea and cardiovascular disease. Morning serum VEGF levels are increased in children with obstructive sleep apnea. However, release of VEGF by platelets and leukocytes during blood clotting may affect its concentration in serum. In the present study, VEGF levels were measured in children with and without habitual snoring using plasma specimens. Evening and morning plasma VEGF concentrations were determined in: (i) 20 children with habitual snoring and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)5 episodes/h (median age 5; range 1.9-13 years); (ii) 55 children with snoring and AHI<5 episodes/h (median age 6; 2-13 years); and (iii) 25 controls without snoring (median age 6.5; 3-13 years). No differences were identified between the three study groups regarding evening [median 2.5 (range 2.5-174.5) versus 22.5 (2.5-159.4) versus 26.8 (2.5-108) pg/mL; P>0.05] and morning VEGF levels [median 7.7 (range 2.5-120.5) versus 25.1 (2.5-198.4) versus 48.4 (2.5-147.7) pg/mL; P>0.05]. AHI and % sleep time with oxygen saturation of hemoglobin less than 90% were not significant predictors of log-transformed morning VEGF concentrations (P>0.05). In summary, both evening and morning plasma VEGF levels were similar in children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing of variable severity and in controls without snoring. VEGF may not play an important pathophysiologic role in all cases of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Thessaly School of Medicine and Larissa University Hospital Larissa, P.O. Box 1425, Larissa 41110, Greece. KADITIA@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Athanasios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kaditis
authors.forename: Emmanouel I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Alexopoulos
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karadonta
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kostadima
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kiropoulos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gourgoulianis
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Syrogiannopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A