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. 2021 Sep 13;11(9):1673.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11091673.

Clinically Silent Small Vessel Disease of the Brain in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome

Dimitrios G Raptis  1 , Olga Sinani  2 , Georgia G Rapti  1 , Aikaterini Papanikolaou  2 , Katerina Dadouli  3 , Panagiotis Ntellas  4 , Eftychia Z Kapsalaki  5 , Foteini Malli  1   6 , Konstantinos I Gourgoulianis  1 , Georgia Xiromerisiou  7
Affiliations

Clinically Silent Small Vessel Disease of the Brain in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome

Dimitrios G Raptis et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is associated with increased risk of cerebrovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the presence of the small vessel disease (SVD) of the brain in patients with OSAHS. The study included 24 patients with moderate to severe OSAHS and 34 healthy volunteers. All the subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, in order to sought periventricular white matter (PVWM), deep white matter (DWM) and brainstem SVD. Among patients with OSAHS, 79.1% had SVD (grade 1-3, Fazekas score) in DWM and 91.7% in PVWM while 22.4% had brainstem-white matter hyperintensities (B-WMH). Patients with OSAHS had a much higher degree of SVD in the DWM and PVWM compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The multivariate analysis showed an independent significant association of OSAHS with SVD (DWM and PVWM) (p = 0.033, OR 95% CI: 8.66 (1.19-63.08) and: p = 0.002, OR 95% CI: 104.98 (5.15-2141)). The same analysis showed a moderate association of OSAHS with B-WMH (p = 0.050, OR 15.07 (0.97-234.65)). Our study demonstrated an independent significant association of OSAHS with SVD and a moderate association of OSAHS with B-WMH.

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome; small vessel disease; white matter.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the study selection process and research workflow. List of Abbreviations: OSAHS: Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome, PSG: Polysomnography, MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of patients with OSAHS and controls group with respect to SVD in the DWM.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of patients with OSAHS and control group with respect to SVD in the PVWM.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of patients with OSAHS and the control group for the presence of B-WMH.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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