서영성

계명의대 가정의학교실

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is strongly related to insulin resistance and inflammation. Ferritin, which acts as an acute phase reactant, is closely associated with insulin resistance and can be considered a marker of metabolic syndrome. This study investigated the relationship between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and serum ferritin as an inflammatory marker in male snorers.

Methods: Study subjects included 114 male adults with histories of snoring who visited a university-based sleep clinic. They were divided into 3 groups according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) following a polysomnography. Fasting levels of serum iron, TIBC, ferritin, CRP, and TNF-a were measured from venous blood.

Results: Age and BMI were similar among the 3 groups. However, waist circumference tended to be significantly higher according to the severity of the AHI-based group. After adjusting for waist circumference, serum ferritin was significantly different among the 3 groups. Levels of CRP and TNF-a were similar among the groups. The correlation analysis showed positive correlations between CRP, ferritin, BMI, waist circumference, and AHI in the study subjects. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of AHI and CRP, waist circumference, and ferritin were found to be significant predictors of AHI.

Conclusions: Serum ferritin is independently associated with AHI in Korean male snorers. This finding supports that ferritin may have a crucial role in OSA-associated diseases.


(Korean J Health Promot Dis Prev 2009;9(3):207-212)


Key words: snoring, ferritin, inflammation