The value of lipid profile in asthma-obstructive sleep apnea overlap

The asthma obstructive sleep apnea overlap is a clinical entity relatively new and the association with a dysfunctional plasma lipid profile is not known. Aim. In this study, we compared the serum lipid profile in asthma-obstructive sleep apnea overlap syndrome to those in asthma and obstructive sleep apnea patients. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 97 cases of which 26 patients had only asthma, 51 were diagnosed with OSA, and 20 were identified with A-OSA overlap. The lipid profile included the total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, the LDL- cholesterol. The Casteli indexes I and II and the atherogenic plasma index were calculated. Results. The patients with asthma- obstructive apnea overlap were older (55.55 years vs 53,73 years in obstructive sleep apnea and 51,04 years in asthmatics), mostly obese (95%), and had a significantly higher average of BMI (38.11 vs. 35.64 and 28.8, respectively). Asthma- obstructive apnea overlap was at higher risk of cardiovascular disease than asthmatics, in respect to the lipid profile: the levels of HDL-cholesterol were lower, triglycerides were higher, and the values of Castelli index I and II were higher. Conclusions. Based on our results, we confirm that age and BMI contribute to the risk of A-OSA overlap. The major differences in the common markers of the serum lipid profile are lower HDL-C and higher triglycerides. As a clinical implication, both Castelli indexes could provide additional value for cardiovascular risk and should be monitored in A-OSA overlap.