Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk Is Associated With Severity of Metabolic Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis of the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Jacob K Kariuki, Kyeongra Yang, Paul W Scott and 4 others
PMID 34935745WHAT IT FOUND
Higher estimated sleep apnea risk was linked to worse metabolic syndrome severity, even after body weight, age, diet, and activity were considered.
Adults with more snoring and apnea symptoms may need a closer look at cardiometabolic health.
Key findings
01After age, gender, BMI, diet, and physical activity were accounted for, each 10% higher estimated OSA risk was associated with a 0.056 standard deviation higher expected MetS severity score.
0219.3% of the analysed sample had elevated MetS severity and 38.4% were at high risk of OSA.
03In the regression model, individuals not meeting recommended physical activity had expected MetS severity scores 0.282 standard deviations above those meeting it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that sleep apnea risk causes metabolic syndrome severity or that reducing estimated risk will improve it. OSA was estimated from a screening algorithm, not confirmed by polysomnography or a sleep study. The adapted MAP index may under-identify OSA in women, and other sleep disorders such as short sleep duration, insomnia, and circadian misalignment were not measured. Diet quality and physical activity were collected by survey questions rather than direct measurement. The analysis used existing data and excluded people with missing values needed for the scores.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts declaration; the publication types indicate NIH Extramural support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the association as proof that treating sleep apnea lowers metabolic syndrome severity. This was a cross-sectional survey of estimated risk, not a treatment trial, and it cannot show cause.