Obesity: Assessment and prevention: Module 23.2 from Topic 23 "Nutrition in obesity"

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Associated With Low Testosterone Levels in Severely Obese Men

Background

Disrupted sleep affects cardio-metabolic and reproductive health. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome represents a major complication of obesity and has been associated with gonadal axis activity changes and lower serum testosterone concentration in men. However, there is no consistent opinion on the effect of obstructive sleep apnea on testosterone levels in men.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of obstructive sleep apnea on total and free testosterone levels in severely obese men.

Materials and methods

The study included 104 severely obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2) men, aged 20 to 60, who underwent anthropometric, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, and sex hormone measurements. All participants were subjected to polysomnography. According to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) patients were divided into 3 groups: <15 (n = 20), 15 - 29.9 (n = 17) and ≥ 30 (n = 67).

Results

There was a significant difference between AHI groups in age (29.1 ± 7.2, 43.2 ± 13.2, 45.2 ± 10.2 years; p < 0.001), BMI (42.8 ± 5.9, 43.2 ± 5.9, 47.1 ± 7.8 kg/m2; p = 0.023), the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (55%, 82.4%, 83.6%, p = 0.017), continuous metabolic syndrome score (siMS) (4.01 ± 1.21, 3.42 ± 0.80, 3.94 ± 1.81, 4.20 ± 1.07; p = 0.038), total testosterone (TT) (16.6 ± 6.1, 15.2 ± 5.3, 11.3 ± 4.44 nmol/l; p < 0.001) and free testosterone (FT) levels (440.4 ± 160.8, 389.6 ± 162.5, 294.5 ± 107.0 pmol/l; p < 0.001). TT level was in a significant negative correlation with AHI, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), BMI, MetS and siMS. Also, FT was in a significant negative correlation with AHI, ODI, BMI, age, MetS and siMS. The multiple regression analysis revealed that both AHI and ODI were in significant correlation with TT and FT after adjustment for age, BMI, siMS score and MetS components.

Conclusion

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with low TT and FT levels in severely obese men.

[Evolution of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 according to previous metabolic status]

INTRODUCTION

coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) encompasses a wide spectrum of symptoms, including respiratory, gastrointestinal, hematological, and dermatological manifestations. The virus interaction with cells located in the respiratory tract causes the release of inflammatory mediators, whose involvement could be exacerbated by co-existing obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular events.

OBJECTIVES

the objective of this research was to analyze the clinically metabolic status in patients who have suffered COVID-19 disease in order to predict the outcome.

METHODS

this research is a retrospective study based on a cohort of 165 consecutively admitted patients with criteria for COVID-19 pneumonia according to WHO guidelines at the Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro between March and April 2020. Recorded variables included demographic and epidemiological data plus diagnoses as well as morbid complications during hospitalization. The Biochemistry Unit Laboratory carried out laboratory analyses according to validated operational procedures. The statistical tests included univariate and multivariate models adjusted for baseline characteristics and clinically relevant features.

RESULTS

the most frequent comorbidity in our cohort was arterial hypertension (44.0 %), followed by dyslipidemia (32.1 %), obesity (30.9 %), and diabetes mellitus (20.0 %). The association between admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) with body mass index (BMI) in a multivariate model was statistically significant, evidencing that obese subjects (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) have a 19 % higher risk of requiring ICU care. The univariate model revealed a statistically significant association between obesity and ICU admission and length of hospital stay (p < 0.05). The relationship between baseline blood glucose and in-hospital mortality was also statistically significant (p = 0.03), as well as with total cholesterol and ICU admission (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

obesity is related to a longer time of hospitalization and a higher rate of admissions to the ICU. Low total cholesterol levels and abnormal baseline blood glucose were risk factors for ICU requirement and in-hospital mortality. Patient categorization based on obesity could be valuable in the development of a precision medicine model within the COVID-19 pandemic.