Smoking and small, dense low-density lipoproteins.

Size and subclasses of low-density lipoproteins in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have proatherogenic dyslipidemia. We analyzed predictors of low-density lipoproteins' (LDLs) size in patients with OSA. In a cross-sectional study including 58 participants with OSA (30 without the metabolic syndrome [MetS] and 28 with MetS), we evaluated the size of LDL by gradient gel electrophoresis. Compared with patients without the MetS, those with MetS showed lower LDL size ( P = .007), due to a reduction in large LDL-I particles ( P = .002) and an increase in small, dense LDL-IIIA ( P = .048) and LDL-IIIB ( P = .037). The size of LDL correlated inversely with age ( r = −.268, P = .042) and serum triglycerides ( r = −.364, P = .005), and p…