title: Association between serum neopterin, obesity and daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and systemic inflammation may interact through biochemical pathways. Neopterin (NP) is a monocyte/macrophage activation marker produced by macrophages in response to interferon-gamma secreted by activated T-lymphocytes. This study examines the association between NP, obesity and OSA.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 22 newly diagnosed OSA (+) patients and 18 OSA (-) patients. Subjects with history of coronary artery disease, transplant patients, history of alcohol and drug abuse, history of HIV and any other significant medical illnesses such as active infections, autoimmune disease, malignancy, liver disease, pulmonary disease (COPD, asthma,...), neuromuscular disease, patients on immunomodulating therapy or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in age, body mass index (BMI), and smoking habits of the OSA (+) patients and OSA (-) patients. Serum NP levels did not show any significant difference between the OSA (+) patients and OSA (-) patients, however, NP levels were positively correlated with BMI (r=0.320, p=0.044). There was no significant correlation between NP and any of the polysomnographic parameters. The result of stepwise regression analyses (r(2)=0.320, p<0.001) showed that high serum NP levels (p=0.004) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were a risk factor for elevated Epworth sleepiness score, independent of BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that serum NP levels correlate with BMI. There was a significant relationship between serum NP levels and excessive daytime sleepiness in OSA patients.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Medicine Department, School of Medicine, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey. ahmetursavas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ursavaş
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karadag
authors.forename: Arzu Yilmaztepe
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Oral
authors.forename: Ezgi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Demirdogen
authors.forename: Haluk Barbaros
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Oral
authors.forename: Ercüment
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ege
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019798:Neopterin