Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background and Aim: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is closely associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Recent studies showed that osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with cardiovascular disease as well as inflammation defined as “metabolic disorder”. Due to the strong association of metabolic disorders with both OA and OSA, we aimed to evaluate the role of OSA in the development of OA and to investigate whether an association could be found between rising severity of OSA and OA. Materials and Methods: Patients who got polysomnography due to suspicion of OSA were recruited in a cross-sectional study. Included patients were grouped according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) as mild (AHI between 5 and 14.9), moderately severe (AHI between 15 and 29,9), and severe OSA (AHI ≥- 30). Patients with AHI Results: 120 patients were enrolled into the study. Mean age was 52.4±11.5 years and 56% (68/120) of the patients were male. A strong correlation was present between severity of OSA and severity of OA. In Grade 4 OA group (33 patients), all patients had severe OSA and this association was independent from body-mass index. In Grade 1 OA group, none of the patients had severe OSA (p Conclusion: OSA is a novel independent risk factor for the development and severity of OA. Further studies should evaluate the effect of OSA treatment on OA.