[Effect of continuous positive airway pressure upon 24 h changes of blood glucose level in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and type 2 diabetes].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of short-term continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) upon 24 h glucose control via a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and type 2 diabetes (OWD).

METHODS

Eleven cases of hospitalized OWD with age 43 - 70 (56 +/- 10) years old, body mass index 22.3 - 38.3 (28.5 +/- 5.5) kg/m(2) and apnea hypopnea index (AHI) 12 - 68 (45 +/- 23) times/h was recruited. CGMS was applied 2 days before and 4 days during CPAP treatment. The 24 h, treatment hours (6 h, 0:00-6:00) and non- treatment hours (18 h) glucose level and glucose variability were analyzed. Insulin resistance was assessed with fasting plasma blood glucose (FBG), plasma insulin (FINS) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR).

RESULTS

Short-term CPAP treatment corrected sleep disordered breathing, and induced significant decreases of 24 h and treatment hours blood glucose level [(7.97 +/- 1.31) vs (7.52 +/- 0.94) mmol/L, (7.24 +/- 1.51) vs (6.77 +/- 1.65) mmol/L, both P < 0.05). Glucose variability of 24 h and treatment hours and non-treatment hours significantly decreased after CPAP treatment (1.22 +/- 0.34 vs 0.89 +/- 0.28, 0.43 +/- 0.24 vs 0.31 +/- 0.18, 1.23 +/- 0.89 vs 0.49 +/- 0.26, all P < 0.05). Short-term treatment also induced increase of insulin sensitivity, as indicated by a significant decrease of HOMA-IR (3.65 +/- 1.93 vs 2.79 +/- 1.68, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Short-term CPAP treatment in OWD may have an improving effect not only upon insulin resistance but also upon whole-day blood glucose and glucose variability.