Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on homocysteine levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), but previous studies assessing the effect of CPAP on homocysteine (HCY) in patients with OSAHS yielded conflicting results. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether CPAP therapy could reduce plasma HCY levels.


METHODS
Searches of PUBMED, SCI, and Elsevier databases were completed. Studies of adult patients with OSAHS who reported HCY levels pre- and post-CPAP treatment were collected by two independent reviewers. RevMan (version 5.2) and STATA (version 12.0) were used to perform data synthesis.


RESULTS
A total of 6 studies involving 206 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that the total weighted mean difference (WMD) for HCY levels was -0.62 units (95% confidence interval (CI) -1.21 to -0.04, P<0.05) post- and pre-CPAP therapy. Subgroup analysis showed that HCY was decreased nonsignificantly within 3 months after the therapy (WMD, -0.07, 95% CI -0.88 to 0.74, P>0.05), but it was significantly reduced after 3 months therapy (WMD, -1.22, 95% CI -2.07 to -0.38, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis suggests that HCY levels were significantly reduced by CPAP therapy in patients with OSAHS and the HCY levels may be clinically recognized as a valuable indicator for OSAHS treatment, but the clinical significance of this finding as it relates to cardiovascular risk reduction in OSAHS patients warrants further study.
Department of Otolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
Xiong
X
Chen
Xun
X
Niu
Ying
Y
Xiao
Jiaqi
J
Dong
Rui
R
Zhang
Meixia
M
Lu
Weijia
W
Kong
D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D006710:Homocysteine