Immune status of children with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Zihe Zhang,Chunguang Wang

doi:10.12669/pjms.331.11959

Abstract

Objective:We aimed to evaluate the immune status of children with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Methods:Fifty children with OSAHS having the symptoms of “snoring, mouth breathing and suffocating during sleep”, who were admitted in our hospital from May 2014 to May 2016, were randomly selected. Another 52 healthy, age- and gender-matched children were enrolled as control subjects after taking informed consent. After admission, the peripheral venous blood was collected. T cell subsets and cytokines were analyzed by flow cytometry. Immunoglobulin and complement levels were detected by immunoassay analyzer.Results:The percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes in children with OSAHS was (26.47 ± 1.52)% which was significantly higher than that of control group ((21.94 ± 1.92)%) (P<0.05). OSAHS group had a significantly lower CD4+/CD8+ ratio (1.24 ± 0.12) than that of control group (1.45 ± 0.11) (P<0.05). The two groups had similar percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes (P>0.05). OSAHS group had significantly higher serum levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ than those of control group (P<0.05), but their IL-2 and TNF-α levels were similar (P>0.05). The serum IgA and C3 levels of OSAHS group significantly exceeded those of control group (P<0.05), but their IgG, IgM and C4 levels were similar (P>0.05).Conclusion:Children with OSAHS had increased percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes and decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio, suggesting this group had poor immune function. Increase in humoral immune-related indices IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ indicated the occurrence of oxidative stress and systemic inflammatory status.

Highlights

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), which is characterized by intermittent partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, endangers from neonates to adolescents, with the overall morbidity rates of 1-4%.1,2 Due to multisystem damages induced by sleep respiratory flow changes, repeated hypoxemia, carbon dioxide retention and repeated awakening, children with OSAHS usually suffer from complications such as growth retardation, cardiac function changes, conductive deafness, facial deformity, memory loss, mental decline and personality changes.[3]
It is of great significance to evaluate the immune functions of children with OSAHS in order to clarify the risks of this disease and to perform effective treatment
T cell subsets: T cell subset analysis showed that the percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes in children with OSAHS was (26.47 ± 1.52)% which significantly exceeded that of control group ((21.94 ± 1.92)%) (P

Summary

Introduction

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), which is characterized by intermittent partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, endangers from neonates to adolescents, with the overall morbidity rates of 1-4%.1,2 Due to multisystem damages induced by sleep respiratory flow changes, repeated hypoxemia, carbon dioxide retention and repeated awakening, children with OSAHS usually suffer from complications such as growth retardation, cardiac function changes, conductive deafness, facial deformity, memory loss, mental decline and personality changes.[3]. Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), which is characterized by intermittent partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, endangers from neonates to adolescents, with the overall morbidity rates of 1-4%.1,2. It is of great significance to evaluate the immune functions of children with OSAHS in order to clarify the risks of this disease and to perform effective treatment. The effects of OSAHS on the humoral and cellular immunity of children were assessed by collecting peripheral venous blood samples and detecting T cell subsets, immunoglobulins, complements and cytokines

Methods

Results

Conclusion