Eight months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) decrease tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA) in men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA) concentrations 8 months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. DESIGN: This study used prospective, observational clinical trial. PATIENTS Sixty-six patients with newly diagnosed sleep apnea syndrome (12 women, 54 men), age 52.3 ± 9.8 (mean ± SD) with a body mass index of 29.7 ± 4.4 and an apnea-hypopnea index of 39.7 ± 26.8, were studied. INTERVENTION CPAP was administered for a mean of 7.8 ± 1.3 months. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: TNFA concentrations using an ultrasensitive ELISA assay at baseline and follow-up. TNFA decreased in men with high (5.2 ± 1.7 h/night, -0.46 ± 1.1 ng/l, p = 0.001) and with low (2.5 ± 1.0 h/night -0.63 ± 0.77 ng/l, p = 0.001) adherence but not in women. Average number of hours of CPAP use correlated positively with delta TNFA (R (2) 0.08, p = 0.04) CONCLUSION: Long-term CPAP positively affects TNFA even in men with poor adherence to CPAP.