Metabolic aspects of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

Insulin resistance is often associated with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome(OSAS) and could contribute to cardiovascular risk in OSAS. Sleep loss and intermittent hypoxiacould contribute to the pathogenesis of the metabolic alterations associated with obesity, acommon feature of OSAS. The biology of the adipocyte is being increasingly studied, and it hasbeen found that hypoxia negatively affects adipocyte function.In November 2007, the European Respiratory Society and two EU COST Actions(Cardiovascular risk in OSAS (B26) and Adipose tissue and the metabolic syndrome(BM0602)), held a Research Seminar in Du¨sseldorf, Germany, to discuss the following: 1) theeffects of hypoxia on glucose metabolism and adipocyte function; 2) the role of inflammatoryactivation in OSAS and obesity; 3) the alarming rates of obesity and OSAS in children; 4) theharmful effects of the metabolic syndrome in OSAS; 5) the effects of OSAS treatment on metabolicvariables; and 6) the relationship between daytime sleepiness and hormonal and inflammatoryresponses. Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, the role of the endocannabinoid system andnovel pharmacological approaches to treat insulin resistance were also discussed.As obesity and hypoxia could be the basic links between OSAS and adipocyte dysfunction,further research is needed to translate these new data into clinical practice.