Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr 15;13(4):607-612.
doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6554.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients Referred for Evaluation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Banu Salepci  1 , Benan Caglayan  2 , Payam Nahid  3 , Elif Torun Parmaksiz  1 , Nesrin Kiral  1 , Ali Fidan  1 , Sevda Sener Comert  1 , Coskun Dogan  1 , Gulten Aktin Gungor  1
Affiliations

Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients Referred for Evaluation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Banu Salepci et al. J Clin Sleep Med. .

Abstract

Study objectives: A recent study reported an association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and low vitamin D levels. In this study, we measured vitamin D levels in patients referred for evaluation of suspected OSA and sought to identify associated risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Our objective was to determine whether evaluations of patients with suspected OSA should include routine screening for vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, we measured vitamin D levels in consecutively enrolled patients referred for an OSA evaluation to Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. We conducted full-night polysomnography and compared vitamin D levels both between patients with OSA and patients without OSA and across the various severity levels of OSA. We evaluated the association between vitamin D levels and various clinical and demographic characteristics, including the apnea-hypopnea index and body mass index.

Results: From April 2014 to June 2015, 195 patients were referred for OSA evaluation. Of these, 181 patients (93%) consented to participate and underwent full polysomnography and measurement of vitamin D levels. The mean ± standard deviation age was 49 ± 12 years and body mass index of 31 ± 6 kg/m2. Polysomnography led to the diagnosis of OSA in 162 of the patients (89.5%): 52 (32%) were categorized as having mild OSA, 38 (23.5%) as having moderate OSA, and 72 (44.5%) as having severe OSA. Vitamin D level was 15.5 ± 11.6 ng/mL (95% confidence interval; 13-17 ng/mL) and 134 patients (74%) met the criterion for vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL). Sex, vitamin D levels, and percentage of patients with vitamin D deficiency were similar in patients with and without OSA (P > .05). Vitamin D levels were similar across OSA severity categories (P = .68). We found no association between vitamin D levels and the apnea-hypopnea index or body mass index.

Conclusion: A large proportion of patients referred for OSA evaluation had vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D levels did not differ by OSA diagnosis status or severity. Patients referred for polysomnography should undergo routine screening for vitamin D deficiency as well as clinically indicated treatment to prevent associated comorbidities.

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea; vitamin D deficiency; vitamin D level.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution of the patients
AHI = apnea-hypopnea index, OSA = obstructive sleep apnea.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Vitamin D level of all apnea-hypopnea index severity groups.
OSA = obstructive sleep apnea; Vit = vitamin.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Correlation between vitamin D level and apneahypopnea index in the study population.
P = .35; r = −0.06.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Correlation between vitamin D level and body mass index in the study population.
P = .30; r = −0.07. BMI = body mass index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shahar E, Whitney CW, Redline S, et al. Sleep disordered breathing and cardiovascular disease: cross sectional results of the sleep heart health study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001;163(1):19–25. - PubMed
    1. Erden ES, Genc S, Motor S, et al. Investigation of serum bisphenol A, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone levels in patients obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Endocrine. 2014;45(2):311–318. - PubMed
    1. Kerley CP, Hutchinson K, Bolger K, McGowan A, Faul J, Cormican L. Serum vitamin D is significantly inversely associated with disease severity in caucasian adults with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a case control study. Sleep. 2016;39(2):293–300. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spiro A, Buttriss JL. Vitamin D: an overview of vitamin D status and intake in Europe. Nutr Bull. 2014;39(4):322–350. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. Evaluation, treatment, and prevention of vitamin D deficiency: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(7):1911–1930. - PubMed