Melatonin concentration as a marker of the circadian phase in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

作者：Papaioannou Ioannis; Twigg Gillian L; Kemp Michael; Roughton Michael; Hooper James; Morrell Mary J^*; Polkey Michael I

来源：Sleep Medicine, 2012, 13(2): 167-171.

DOI：10.1016/j.sleep.2011.01.020

• Sleep
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Melatonin
• Circadian rhythm
• Dim light
• Sleep disturbance

Objective: The effects of obstructive sleep apnoea (USA) on the markers of glucose metabolism and other hormones are of interest, particularly since there is growing evidence that USA may be a risk factor for disorders such as insulin resistance. However, interpreting these studies depends on the target hormone not having a diurnal rhythm and the circadian rhythm not being altered by the sleep fragmentation that occurs in USA. Therefore, the aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that USA displaces the circadian rhythm.
Methods: We carried out a prospective, observational, controlled, parallel study in 22 USA patients (mean [SD] age: 45.1 [8.8] years; apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI): 37 [24] events/h) and 22 age matched healthy subjects (age: 47.9 [7.9] years; AHI: 3 [1] events/h). Saliva samples for the measurement of melatonin were collected from participants resting in dim light at 30 min intervals between 19:30 and 22:30 h. Dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), a marker of the circadian phase, was taken at the end of the 30 min interval in which the greatest rise in melatonin occurred.
Results: The group median (interquartile range) DLMO did not differ in USA patients compared to healthy subjects (USA patients: 90 [60-150] min; healthy subjects: 135 [90-150] min, p = 0.19).
Conclusion: The circadian phase is the same in USA patients and healthy subjects using salivary melatonin concentration as a marker of the circadian phase.

• 出版日期2012-2