Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2005 Jun;12(1):17-22.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Metabolic Dysfunction

Affiliations
  • 1Institute of Human Genomic Study, Korea University Medical Science Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Pulmonary and Sleep Disorder Center, Department of Internal Me-dicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Korea. shinchol@pol.net

Abstract

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity. Epidemiological and clinic-based studies have shown that SDB is related to impaired glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance, independent of obesity. Despite of a consistent association between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism, the mechanism underlying this relationship has not been fully elucidated. It is recognized that hypoxemia and hypercapnia that occur in SDB provoke sympathetic nervous activity and catecholamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and cortisol are released. Sympathetic hyperactivity and increased catecholamines can impair glucose homeostasis by increasing glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, which can result in increased circulating insulin levels and increased risk of insulin resistance. A prospective study is needed to investigate the causal relationship between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism in a healthy population without diabetes, hypertension and obesity as etiologic risk factors.

Keyword

Glucose tolerance; Insulin resistance; Sleep disorders

MeSH Terms

Anoxia
Catecholamines
Epinephrine
Gluconeogenesis
Glucose
Glycogenolysis
Homeostasis
Hydrocortisone
Hypercapnia
Hypertension
Insulin
Insulin Resistance
Metabolism
Norepinephrine
Obesity
Risk Factors
Sleep Apnea Syndromes*
Sleep Wake Disorders
Catecholamines
Epinephrine
Glucose
Hydrocortisone
Insulin
Norepinephrine
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