Increased the circulating levels of malondialdehyde in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Several studies have demonstrated elevated oxidative stress in patients with OSA. This oxidative stress is a direct inducer of lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde (MDA), a robust marker of lipid peroxidation, has been evaluated in patients with OSA but results have been inconsistent. The present systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to quantify the circulating levels of MDA in patients with OSA compared to controls.

Methods: Search was performed in data bases of PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, to find out those studies that measured MDA in patients with OSA compared to controls.

Results: The search produced 563 records and after removing duplicates, 383 records remained. Screening by title and abstract and the evaluation of the full text resulted in the selection of 14 articles, which were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis demonstrated higher levels of MDA in the patients compared to the controls (SMD (95% CI): 1.18 (0.68, 1.68), p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated considerable elevation of MDA in patients with OSA compared to controls. The meta-analysis also indicated a positive association of MDA levels with the degree of severity of OSA. These results suggest a state of increased lipid peroxidation in patients with OSA.