Kalogritsas Nick D, Lachanas Vasileios A, Liakos Panagiotis, Alexopoulos Emmanuel I, Beka Despoina, Petinaki Efthymia, Hajiioannou Jiannis, Simos George, Skoulakis Charalampos E
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Larissa, Greece.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Larissa, Greece.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Dec;151:110932. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110932. Epub 2021 Oct 1.
High serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels have been reported in adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), however there is a lack of related literature in children with OSA. The main objective of this study was to explore the potential use of EPO as a pediatric OSA biomarker by exploring the relationship between serum EPO levels and the presence of pediatric OSA.
A prospective study was conducted on children (4-12 years old) referred for overnight PSG. Thirty (30) consecutive children with mild. 30 consecutives with moderate, and 30 consecutives with severe OSA (OSA group), as well as 30 consecutive children with AHI≤1 (non-OSA group) were recruited. Morning blood specimens after PSG studies were obtained in order to compare EPO levels.
Finally, 115 children included for analysis. Non-OSA group consisted of 29 children (mean age: 6.93 ± 2.10) and OSA-group of 86 children (mean age: 6.78 ± 2.53). Mean EPO values for the non-OSA and OSA groups were 5.46 ± 2.29 mIU/ml and 8.33 ± 4.10 mIU/ml respectively. OSA-group had significant higher EPO levels than non-OSA (P: 0.01) while EPO levels were significantly correlated with AHI (p < 0.001).
Our study showed that serum EPO levels of children with OSA are significantly higher than those without OSA and correlate significantly with AHI. These results suggest that EPO may be considered as a biomarker candidate for pediatric OSA. Since this may be the first study on the topic further research is needed.
有报道称成年阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）患者血清促红细胞生成素（EPO）水平较高，然而，关于儿童OSA患者的相关文献较少。本研究的主要目的是通过探讨血清EPO水平与儿童OSA之间的关系，探索EPO作为儿童OSA生物标志物的潜在用途。
对转诊进行夜间多导睡眠图（PSG）检查的4至12岁儿童进行了一项前瞻性研究。招募了30名连续的轻度OSA儿童、30名连续的中度OSA儿童和30名连续的重度OSA儿童（OSA组），以及30名连续的呼吸暂停低通气指数（AHI）≤1的儿童（非OSA组）。在PSG检查后采集早晨血标本，以比较EPO水平。
最终，纳入115名儿童进行分析。非OSA组由29名儿童组成（平均年龄：6.93±2.10），OSA组由86名儿童组成（平均年龄：6.78±2.53）。非OSA组和OSA组的平均EPO值分别为5.46±2.29 mIU/ml和8.33±4.10 mIU/ml。OSA组的EPO水平显著高于非OSA组（P：0.01），而EPO水平与AHI显著相关（p<0.001）。
我们的研究表明，OSA儿童的血清EPO水平显著高于非OSA儿童，且与AHI显著相关。这些结果表明，EPO可能被视为儿童OSA的生物标志物候选物。由于这可能是关于该主题的第一项研究，因此需要进一步研究。
