Aim: Emerging evidence has revealed that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for the development of a variety of adverse metabolic disease states. In this study, we evaluated the association between OSA severity and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) among Asian populations.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, single-center study. The study cohort consisted of patients undergoing polysomnography and abdominal ultrasonography. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors of MAFLD in patients with OSA.
Results: A total of 1065 patients (277 non-MAFLD and 788 MAFLD) were included in the study. The prevalence of MAFLD in non-OSA, mild-moderate OSA, and severe OSA patients was 58.16%, 72.41%, and 78.0%, respectively (p < 0.001). We identified significant differences in body mass index (BMI), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and lowest O₂ saturation (LaSO₂) between non-MAFLD and MAFLD patients (all p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, we used multivariate regression analysis to show that BMI, ODI, and triglyceride (TG) levels independently predicted the occurrence of MAFLD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.234, p < 0.001; OR = 1.022, p = 0.013; OR = 1.384, p = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, stratified analysis according to BMI indicated that TG levels were the predominant risk factor for MAFLD in a group of patients with a BMI < 23 kg/m², while BMI, ODI, TG levels, and total cholesterol (TC) were the major risk factors for MAFLD in a group of patients with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m² (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion: OSA-associated chronic intermittent hypoxia was independently associated with the risk of MAFLD, especially in OSA patients with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m², suggesting that oxidative stress might play an important role in the pathogenesis of MAFLD in patients with OSA.
Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, chronic intermittent hypoxia, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, obesity