Objective: To investgate the effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nC-PAP) short-term treatment on the serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients.
Methods: Twenty patients with OSAHS ( AHI > or = 15 ) and 15 controls (AHI < 15) were recruited. After polysomnography (PSG), the venous blood was collected from all subjects to investigate CRP and ICAM-1. The effects of short-term treatment (4 d) of nCPAP on the serum levels of CRP and ICAM-1 were studied in patients with moderate and severe OSAHS.
Results: Before the treatment, there was a significant positive correlation between CRP and AHI in all subjects (r = 0.615, P < 0.001), a significant negative correlation between CRP and the mean nocturnal oxygen saturation (r = -0.682, P < 0.001), and a significant negative correlation between CRP and the lowest nocturnal SaO2 (r = -0.61, P < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between ICAM-1 and AHI in all subjects (r = 0.751, P < 0.001), a significant negative correlation between ICAM-1 and the mean nocturnal oxygen saturation (r = -0.68, P < 0.001), and a significant negative correlation between ICAM-1 and the lowest nocturnal oxygen saturation (r = -0.656, P < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CRP and ICAM-1 (r = 0.437, P = 0.009). The levels of CRP and ICAM-1 were significantly higher in patients with moderate and severe OSAHS than in the controls (P < 0.01). nCPAP decreased the levels of CRP and ICAM-1 in patients with moderate and severe OSAHS (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Inflammatory reaction exists in OSAHS and can be palliated after nCPAP short-term treatment.