Correlation between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus of Han nationality and Uygur nationality

Abstract

Objective To explore the prevalence of diabetes in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) adults over 35 years old of Han and Uygur nationalities and elucidate the relationship between sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods From 2010 to 2012, A total of 755 subjects aged ≥35 years (Han, n=398; Uygur, n=357) were selected from a natural population in Tianshan District of Kelamayi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Height, weight, neck circumference, abdominal circumference and blood sugar were measured. And all subjects of snoring underwent respiration and pulse oximeter tests. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), mean SaO2 (MSaO2%), lowest SaO2 (LSaO2%) and the number of desaturations ≥4% per hour (ODI4) were calculated. They were divided into OSAHS and non OSAHS groups. Both Han nationality and Uygur nationality groups were matched for age and gender. Results The parameters of body mass [(24.9±3.2)vs. (28.2±4.4) kg/m2], neck circumference [(35.2±3.2) vs. (37.4±3.4) cm], abdominal circumference [(87.1±9.5)vs. (98.0±11.6) cm], oxygen desaturation index [(9.9±0.5) vs. (8.2±0.4)/h], nadir arterial oxygen saturation [(83.3±6.9)% vs. (82.7±7.4)%], apnea-hypopnea index [(15.0±14.3) vs. (11.9±11.4)/h] and blood sugar [(6.3±1.4) vs.(7.1±2.8) mmol/L] were significantly different between Han and Uygur nationality snoring groups (P<0.05). Significant difference existed in the prevalence of diabetes in OSAHS groups between Han and Uygur nationalities [16.8%(47/279)vs. 30.5% (69/226)] (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.667), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (OR=2.074) and nationality (OR=1.922) were major risk factors for diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes for OSAHS was 19.3%(69/357) in Uygur nationality versus 11.8%(47/398) in Han nationality. Conclusion The prevalence of diabetes for OSAHS in Uygur nationality is higher than that in Han nationality. The high-risk diabetic factors are age, nationality and AHI. And a close relationship exists between type 2 diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea. Key words: Sleep apnea syndromes; Diabetes mellitus，type 2; Correlation