Relationship between plasma vascular endothelial growth factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in children / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relation of plasma vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty children were recruited from October 2008 to March 2009, including 60 children with snoring and 20 healthy children without snoring as control. Plasma VEGF or TNF-α concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively. Sixty children with snoring underwent an overnight polysomnography test their PSG data, including whole night mean saturation (MSaO2), lowest oxygen saturation (LSaO2), desaturation cumulate time/total sleep time (DCT/TST), oxygen desaturation index 3 (ODI3), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), obstructive apnea index (OAI), were collected and analysed. SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of plasma VEGF and TNF-α in children with OSAHS(540.45 pg/ml and 311.94 pg/ml) were higher than those in children with snoring alone (234.45 pg/ml and 97.55 pg/ml) or those in healthy children (259.80 pg/ml and 120.70 pg/ml), with statistically significant differences(HC value14.176 and 15.571, P < 0.05, respectively), but with no statistical difference between children with snoring alone and healthy children (P > 0.05). The differences in plasma VEGF or TNF-α levels between children with moderate and severe hypoxemia and children with mild hypoxemia were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed no significant correlation between plasma level of VEGF or TNF-α and LSaO2, MSaO2, ODI3, DCT/TST, OAI, AHI or BMI (r values were <0.5, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Plasma levels of VEGF and TNF-α increase in children with OSAHS.</p>