Elevated serum calprotectin as an inflammatory marker in obstructive sleep apnea

ABSTRACT

Objective

To investigate the serum calprotectin (SCal) levels and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods

Sixty-seven OSA patients and 46 healthy volunteers without any sleep disorders were included in the study. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to the severity of OSA. The SCal levels and NLR values were compared among subgroups and between the experimental and control groups.

Results

The mean SCal level and NLR value were higher in the study group than in the control group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). The SCal levels were significantly higher in patients with severe OSA than in those with moderate and mild OSA (p = 0.004 and p = 0.001, respectively).

Discussion

Unlike NLR, the SCal level may inform the severity of OSA and could be used as an indicator for OSA.

KEYWORDS:

• Calprotectin
• inflammation
• neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio
• obstructive sleep apnea

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and research committee (Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital Project Number: E-18-2020) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Funding

There is no source of financial support or funding in this study.