The Association Between OSA and Glycemic Control in Diabetes

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep‑realted respiratory disorder. It is frequently comorbid with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic diseases and is commonly observed in populations with these comorbidities. Investigators aimed to assess the effect of OSA on glycemic control in patients with diabetes.

In this cross‑sectional study, 266 adult patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) attending the outpatient endocrinology clinic at the Guilan University of Medical Sciences were enrolled. Patients completed a checklist that included demographic characteristics, factors, and laboratory results in addition to Berlin and STOP‑BANG questionnaires to evaluate the risk of OSA. Data were analyzed by independent t‑test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Chi‑squared or Fisher’s exact tests using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.

A total of 266 patients with DM were enrolled in this study (34.6% males, mean age 47.00 ± 19.04 years). Based on the Berlin Questionnaire, 38.6% of all participants were at high risk of developing OSA. Based on the STOP‑BANG Questionnaire (SBQ), 45.1% were at moderate and high risks. Additionally, this questionnaire showed a significant difference between low and moderate‑to‑severe groups regarding sex, age, body mass index (BMI), neck size, other chronic diseases, types of DM, use of insulin, Berlin Questionnaire, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and mean HbA1c.

Based on the SBQ, our results indicated a significant relationship between OSA and glycemic control according to mean HbA1c and FBS. Therefore, by controlling the OSA, we may find a way to acheieve better glycemic control in diabetic patients.