Purpose: Liver injury in non-obese obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients has received much attention in recent years. This study aimed to investigate risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver fibrosis in non-obese patients with OSA.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Sleep Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. All consecutive non-obese patients with suspected sleep apnea admitted to the center were enrolled. The clinical characteristics of patients with simple snoring and with different severity OSA were compared. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of NAFLD and liver fibrosis.
Results: A total of 410 patients were enrolled. The levels of triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased with the aggravation of OSA (All p< 0.05). Among non-obese patients with OSA, 17 (5%) were diagnosed with liver fibrosis and 228 (65%) with NAFLD; Apnea-hyponea index (AHI) was an independent predictor for NAFLD and liver fibrosis [OR (95% CI): 1.02 (1.00– 1.03), 1.04 (1.00– 1.07), both p< 0.05]; hypertriglyceridemia was an independent predictor for NAFLD [OR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.12– 1.99), p< 0.05].
Conclusion: NAFLD and liver fibrosis were common in non-obese OSA patients and the severity of OSA was an independent risk factor for them.
Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis