Study Describes Inverse Relationship Between OSA and Diabetes

We have known for some time that Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and diabetes have common causal factors.  A number of studies have demonstrated that both OSA and Type II Diabetes occur together as part of metabolic syndrome.

Researchers at the University of Chicago recently demonstrated “for the first time that there is a clear, graded, inverse relationship between OSA severity and glucose control in patients with Type II Diabetes.”

That is, the more severe the OSA the more variable the level of glucose in the system.

Study author Renee S. Aronsohn, MD also concluded that undiagnosed OSA is common among patients with Type II Diabetes.

The researchers found 77% of subjects had OSA, with just 5 having previously had a sleep study.  None were undergoing treatment.  This finding points to a lack of understanding of the links between OSA and other common disorders, such as Type II diabetes.

After polysomnography, 38% of the study participants were classified as having mild OSA, 25% had moderate OSA, and 13% had severe OSA.

Relative to patients without OSA, the presence of mild, moderate, or severe OSA significantly increased mean adjusted HbA1c values (the main glycaemic control marker in diabetes) by 1.49%, 1.93%, and 3.69%, respectively.

According to the study authors, these effect sizes are comparable to those of widely used diabetes medications, meaning that having OSA may negate or reduce the beneficial effects of some hypoglycaemic drugs.

“Our findings have important clinical implications as they support the hypothesis that reducing the severity of OSA may improve glycaemic control,” said Aronsohn. “Thus effective treatment of OSA may represent a novel and non-pharmacologic intervention in the management of Type II Diabetes.”

The study appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.