Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis in OSA patients After Long-term CPAP Treatment: A Preliminary Ultrasound Study.

In cases of morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was associated with biopsy-proven liver damage. The role of non-invasive techniques to monitor liver changes during OSA treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is unknown. We used non-invasive ultrasound techniques to assess liver steatosis and fibrosis in severe OSA patients at diagnosis and during long-term CPAP treatment. Fifteen consecutive patients with severe OSA (apnea hypopnea index 52.5 ± 19.1/h) were studied by liver ultrasound and elastography (Fibroscan) at 6-mo (n = 3) or 1-y (n = 12) follow-up. Mean age was 49.3 ± 11.9 y, body mass index (BMI) was 35.4 ± 6.4 kg/m(2). Adherence to CPAP was ≥5 h/night. A…

Cardiovascular Events in Moderately to Severely Obese Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients on Positive Airway Pressure Therapy.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> In moderately to severely obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the effects of long-term positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment on cardiovascular risk are poorly defined. <b><i>Purpose:</i></b> To assess the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) on the occurrence of cardiovascular events in obese OSA patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We performed a noninterventional observational study in obese OSA patients recruited between 2007 and 2010 at the Sleep Center, University of Grenoble, treated with CPAP or NIV, and followed for 5.6 year…

Noninvasive evaluation of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in OSA patients at diagnosis

Adipose tissue in sleep apnea: effects of hypoxia and inflammation

Incident cardiovascular events in severely obese patients treated with continous positive airway pressure (CPAP)/non invasive ventilation (NIV): A 5.5-year follow-up

it is still debated whether CPAP or non-invasive ventilation (NIV) reduces cardiovascular (CV) risk in morbidly obese patients. Obese subjects affected by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) (n=210) were recruited between 2007-2010 in the Sleep Center, Univ. of Grenoble; 152 of them were treated with CPAP or NIV, and regularly followed by a home-care provider (Agir a dom). Patients underwent phone interviews to assess incident CV events during 5.6 years (range 4.0-6.5 yrs) of follow-up. One hundred seventeen patients (63 men) responded to questionnaire, 3 OSA patients died, and 32 declined/were lost to follow-up (response rate 77%). All patients at baseli…

Gender-specific anthropometric markers of adiposity, metabolic syndrome and visceral adiposity index (VAI) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea often coexists with visceral adiposity and metabolic syndrome. In this study, we analysed gender-related differences in anthropometrics according to sleep apnea severity and metabolic abnormalities. In addition, the visceral adiposity index, a recently introduced marker of cardiometabolic risk, was analysed. Consecutive subjects with suspected obstructive sleep apnea (n = 528, 423 males, mean age ± standard deviation: 51.3 ± 12.8 years, body mass index: 31.0 ± 6.2 kg m(-2) ) were studied by full polysomnography (apnea-hypopnea index 43.4 ± 27.6 h(-1) ). Variables of general and visceral adiposity were measured (body mass index, neck, waist and hip circumferences, wai…

Adipose Tissue in Sleep Apnea

Obesity is increasingly recognized as a very complex metabolic state. Besides visceral obesity and white adipose tissue (WAT) function, the most recent studies point to a major metabolic role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in energy metabolism. Visceral obesity is associated with hypoxia of adipose tissue and inflammation, both these features being also present in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obesity and OSA may share some common pathogenetic mechanisms, since hypoxia and inflammation are major features of OSA as well. However, the unique pattern of intermittent hypoxia occurring in OSA patients during sleep may modify the response of WAT and BAT in both lean and obese subjec…