Association of Aminotransferase Levels with Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with several metabolic disorders. The hypoxia due to OSA can alter liver function and increases the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatic necrosis. Serum aminotransferase levels are predictive factors for liver injury. In this study we aimed to evaluate association between serum aminotransferase levels and severity of OSA. Materials and Methods: Sixty six patients who their OSA disorder was confirmed with PSG entered the study. All patients had Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in a group of 33 patients with severe OSA (AHI≥30) were compared to 33 patients with mild OSA (5<AHI<15). We also searched for correlation between factors of hypoxemia such as apnea hypopnea index (AHI), Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) and percentage of time spent with SPO2<90% (%T<90) with serum aminotransferase levels. Results: Mean levels of AST were (21.33±8.62) and (21.15±9.39) in severe and mild group respectively. Mean levels of ALT were also measured as (24.24±14.07) and (19.82±9.74) in severe and mild group respectively. The levels of AST and ALT were not significantly different in these two groups (P-value=0.935), (P-value = 0.142). Mean ODI in severe and mild group was (56.33±26.97) (14.00±10.46) (P-value <0.001) and T<90% was (33) 100% and (14) 42.4% (P-value <0.001) respectively which were significantly higher in severe group. Conclusion: The results from this study showed no significant correlation between serum aminotransferase levels and severity of OSA.

Effect of pulmonary hypertension on outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: This study performed at the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Tehran, Iran, aimed to evaluate the effect of concomitant pulmonary hypertension on the outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: New cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were recruited for the study. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as systolic pulmonary arterial pressure ≥35 mm Hg estimated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. We assessed the relationship between pulmonary hypertension and mortality during the six-month treatment of tuberculosis. Results: Of 777 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, 74 (9.5%) had systolic pulmonary arterial pressure ≥35 mm Hg. Ten of them (13.5%) died during treatment compared to 5% of cases with pulmonary arterial pressure less than 35 mm Hg (p = 0.007). Logistic regression analysis showed that pulmonary hypertension and drug abuse remained independently associated with mortality (OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.44–6.75 and OR = 4.4; 95% CI: 2.35–8.17, respectively). Conclusion: A significant association was found between mortality and presence of pulmonary hypertension and drug abuse among new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. .