RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Abnormalities in serum cholesterol and liver enzymes are frequently encountered during preoperative evaluation for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obesity is known to be one of the possible causes and aggravating factors of OSA, and it is also known to be associated with hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance and fatty liver. We tried to elucidate whether OSA itself, without the effects of obesity, can induce abnormalities in liver function and lipid metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The levels of fasting serum cholesterol, glucose and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were checked in 215 adults who had received polysomnographic sleep study. The relationship between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and these variables was evaluated using the general linear model analysis. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was found between AHI and cholesterol level. However, ALT was found to be more dependent on sex and obesity, than AHI. CONCLUSION: The study showed that, without the influence of obesity, age and sex, OSA itself had a meaningful correlation with hypercholesterolemia. This relationship could offer as one of the possible explanations for the increased cardiovascular risk in patients with OSA.