[Analysis of the most important features of obstructive sleep apnoea].

Introduction and objective: Obstructive sleep apnoea results in metabolic and cardiovascular disorders due to inter- mittent hypoxia. The main aim of the present study was to analyze the most important features of obstructive sleep apnoea, using anthropometric measurements and blood tests. Material and method: In this prospective investigation, 100 patients (74 male and 26 female patients, mean age +/- SD years, 42.15 +/- 12.7) were enrolled. These patients were divided into control (n = 36) and obstructive sleep apnoea (n = 64) groups regarding the results of polysomnography. The examination of the patients consisted of detailed anamnestic data, anthropometric measurements, laboratory test and the use of apnoea questionnaires. Results: In the obstructive sleep apnoea group, significantly higher neck (p<0.015), hip and abdomen circumfer- ences and BMI values (p<0.000) were observed. Significantly higher ratio of male patients in the case of obstructive sleep apnoea was detected (p<0.000). In the control group, only the neck circumferences differed significantly be- tween the two genders (p<0.000), but in the obstructive sleep apnoea group the neck (p = 0.001) and abdominal circumferences (p = 0.028) have also differed. Hypertension (64% and 21%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (6.4% and 0%) were more frequent in the obstructive sleep apnoea group, while cardiovascular disorders (1% and 2.7 %) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (4.71% and 5.42%) in the control group. BMI values were significantly positively cor- related with the neck, abdominal and hip circumferences, both in the control and obstructive sleep apnoea groups. Moreover, in the control group, a significant negative correlation between HDL-cholesterol and BMI, neck and abdominal circumferences was observed. Conclusion: Obesity, as one of the most important risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea and the intermittent hypo- xia contribute to the development of comorbidities. The diagnosis and therapy of the comorbidities is of great im- portance due to their effects on the patients' quality of life.