[Association between plasma interleukin-18 levels and atherosclerosis in patients with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between plasma interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels and atherosclerosis in patients with obstructive obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).


METHODS
Based on apnea hypopnea index (AHI) during sleep monitored by polysomnography, 52 male patients with OSAHS were recruited and divided into a mild OSAHS group (n = 16), a moderate group (n = 18), and a severe group (n = 18). Eighteen healthy subjects were selected as the control group. Twenty patients with moderate-to-severe OSAHS underwent continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. HDL5000 color Doppler ultrasound was used to measure intima-media thickness (IMT) of the jugular arteries. Plasma IL-18 levels were measured by ELISA. Analysis of variance, paired-samples T test and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistics.


RESULTS
Compared with the plasma IL-18 levels in the control group [(250 +/- 76) ng/L], there was a significant increase in the mild OSAHS group [(352 +/- 76) ng/L], moderate group [(600 +/- 84) ng/L], and severe OSAHS group [(798 +/- 110) ng/L (all P < 0.01)]. Moreover, there was a significant difference in plasma IL-18 levels among three OSAHS groups (P < 0.01). The jugular arterial IMT was significantly greater in severe OSAHS group than that in mild OSAHS group (P < 0.01). The plasma IL-18 levels were positively correlated with jugular arterial IMT (r = 0.486, P < 0.001) and with AHI (r = 0.865, P < 0.001) respectively. After CPAP treatment, plasma IL-18 levels were significantly decreased but the jugular arterial IMT did not change significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that jugular arterial IMT and plasma IL-18 levels were significantly increased and closely correlated. The elevation of plasma IL-18 levels was correlated with the severity (AHI and miniSaO(2)) of OSAHS.
Li
Chong
C
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, Changzhou, China.
Zhang
Xi-Long
XL
Liu
Hao
H
Wang
Zhi-Gang
ZG
Yin
Kai-Sheng
KS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D020382:Interleukin-18; D008055:Lipids