Could Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome be a Component of Metabolic Syndrome?

Aim: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent disorder and is associated with increasedcardiovascular morbidity and mortality. OSAS is independently related to the cardiovascular risk factors that comprise metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndrome, and sudden death. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 30%-40% in the Turkish population. However, there are no data about the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Turkish patients with OSAS. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MS in Turkish patients with OSAS and MS-related cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients who were admitted to our Sleep Disorders Centerwere evaluated retrospectively. OSAS was diagnosed by polysomnography (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) = 5).MS was diagnosed according to Adult Treatment Panel III. Individuals in whom AHI 15 were recruited as group 1 and those in whom AHI =15 as group 2. Results: We studied 277 patients with OSAS (206 men and 71 women, aged 52.8 ± 9.8 years). The prevalence of MS in patients with OSAS was 39.71% (110 patients). This prevalence is higher than that in theTurkish population. The prevalence of MS in groups 1 and 2 was 25.5% and 74.5%, respectively (P 0.005).Rates of MS were higher in patients with AHI = 15 than in those with AHI 15. In addition, the prevalence of hypertension, arrhythmia, atherosclerotic heart disease, and stroke in patients with and without MS was73.5% and 26% (P = 0.00), 10.2% and 8.5% (P = 0.41), 42.5% and 18.3% (P = 0.00), and 3% and0.06% (P = 0.23), respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of MS is high in OSAS patients. In addition, the prevalence of MS is significantly high in patients with moderate-severe OSAS.