Abstract
This meta-analysis is aimed to investigate the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to collect all relevant articles. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using the random effects model. In addition, subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis were performed. Eleven eligible articles containing 2,259 patients with OSA were included in this study. Pooled outcomes revealed that the NLR was significantly higher in patients with OSA than in controls (SMD 0.62, 95% CI 0.29–0.94, P = 0.002). In subgroup analyses, differences in the NLR between patients and controls increased with worsening OSA grades. Furthermore, meta-regression analysis showed that differences in mean BMI exerted a significant effect on differences in the NLR (P = 0.0003). In summary, our meta-analysis demonstrated that the NLR in OSA patients was significantly higher than that in controls, and the difference was larger in patients with severe OSA. These results indicate that the NLR may be a reliable marker for detecting systemic inflammation and predicting disease severity in patients with OSA.
Highlights
This meta-analysis is aimed to investigate the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
We comprehensively analyzed the results of 10 studies through a meta-analysis and found that the NLR value was higher in OSA patients than in control subjects
These results indicate that neutrophilic inflammation may play a key role in the pathogenesis of OSA
Summary
This meta-analysis is aimed to investigate the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our meta-analysis demonstrated that the NLR in OSA patients was significantly higher than that in controls, and the difference was larger in patients with severe OSA These results indicate that the NLR may be a reliable marker for detecting systemic inflammation and predicting disease severity in patients with OSA. Some researchers have observed significantly elevated NLRs in patients with OSA compared to control groups[13,16,17,18,19,20,22], whereas others have not[14,15,21] The incongruity of these results might have been due to multiple factors, including the study design, statistical power of the study, and genetic heterogeneity of the study population.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.