Impaired glucose tolerance in sleep disorders.
BACKGROUND
Recent epidemiological and experimental data suggest a negative influence of shortened or disturbed night sleep on glucose tolerance. Due to the high prevalence of sleep disorders this might be a major health issue. However, no comparative studies of carbohydrate metabolism have been conducted in clinical sleep disorders.


RESULTS
We performed oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and assessed additional parameters of carbohydrate metabolism in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS, N = 25), restless legs syndrome (RLS, N = 18) or primary insomnia (N = 21), and in healthy controls (N = 33). Compared to controls, increased rates of impaired glucose tolerance were found in OSAS (OR: 4.9) and RLS (OR: 4.7) patients, but not in primary insomnia patients (OR: 1.6). In addition, HbA1c values were significantly increased in the same two patient groups. Significant positive correlations were found between 2-h plasma glucose values measured during the OGTT and the apnea-arousal-index in OSAS (r = 0.56; p<0.05) and the periodic leg movement-arousal-index in RLS (r = 0.56, p<0.05), respectively. Sleep duration and other quantitative aspects of sleep were similar between patient groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that some, but not all sleep disorders considerably compromise glucose metabolism. Repeated arousals during sleep might be a pivotal causative factor deserving further experimental investigations to reveal potential novel targets for the prevention of metabolic diseases.
Keckeis
Marietta
M
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
Lattova
Zuzana
Z
Maurovich-Horvat
Eszter
E
Beitinger
Pierre A
PA
Birkmann
Steffen
S
Lauer
Christoph J
CJ
Wetter
Thomas C
TC
Wilde-Frenz
Johanna
J
Pollmächer
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005947:Glucose