Galectin-3 is associated with coronary plaque burden and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome severity.
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is reported to be associated with hypertension, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure. Galectin-3 plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation, development of cardiac fibrosis, and remodelling. A significant relationship between galectin-3 and the total number of coronary plaques and the macrocalcified plaque structures of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus has been reported.



The aim of this study was to investigate the association between galectin-3 level and coronary plaque burden as well as OSAS severity in patients with OSAS.



A total of 87 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of OSAS and 21 age- and gender-matched control subjects were recruited for the present study. The patients with OSAS were also categorised according to their apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) as follows: mild (AHI = 5-15), moderate (AHI = 15-30), and severe (AHI > 30). All study subjects underwent coronary computed tomography angiography to detect coronary atherosclerosis. Also, all participants of serum galectin-3 concentrations were measured.



Mean galectin-3 level was significantly higher in patients with OSAS compared to control subjects (p < 0.001) and in the severe OSAS group, compared to the moderate and mild OSAS groups (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis indicated significant positive relationships between galectin-3 concentrations and the total number of coronary plaques (p < 0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = 0.001), and severity of OSAS (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, galectin-3 (p = 0.01) and age (p = 0.025) were significant independent predictors of coronary atherosclerosis, after adjusting for other risk factors. Also, it has been found that galectin-3 concentration is a predictor of OSAS severity (p = 0.001).



Galectin-3 is associated with coronary atherosclerosis and OSAS severity in OSAS patients.
Department of Cardiology, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Centre, Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. hpusts@gmail.com.
Hamdi
H
Pusuroglu
Umut
U
Somuncu
Ismail
I
Bolat
Ozgur
O
Akgul
Vesile
V
Ornek
Hayriye Ak
HA
Yıldırım
Emre
E
Akkaya
Huseyin
H
Karakurt
Aydın
A
Yıldırım
Ayfer Utku
AU
Savaş
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037161:Galectins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human
coronary atherosclerosis; galectin-3; obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome