Clinical Characteristics of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Comorbid Primary Aldosteronism

  Objective  To explore the characteristics of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and comorbid primary aldosteronism (PA) and to explore the relevant factors affecting plasma aldosterone concentration.

  Methods  A total of 105 patients diagnosed with PA and admitted at West China Hospital, Sichuan University between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The subjects were divided into a PA with comorbid snoring group (n=20) and a PA with comorbid OSA group (n=85) based on the results of polysomnography (PSG). The PA with comorbid OSA group was further divided into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). A total of 85 outpatients diagnosed with OSA were included as the control group. Demographic, clinical, biochemical, and PSG data were compared between the groups.

  Results  Compared with patients with only OSA, a significantly higher proportion of patients with OSA and comorbid PA had hypertension and elevated levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.05). In addition, patients with OSA and comorbid PA had significantly increased AHI and significantly decreased mean oxygen saturation and sleep efficiency (P<0.05). The more severe the OSA was, the higher levels of BMI, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and uric acid the PA patients had. Linear regression analysis showed that the lowest oxygen saturation (β=−0.222, P=0.045) was negatively correlated with plasma aldosterone concentration.

  Conclusion  Comorbidity with PA can aggravate the clinical manifestations of OSA, while OSA further disrupted the metabolism of lipids and uric acid in PA patients. Plasma aldosterone concentrations in patients with comorbid OSA and PA were affected by the lowest oxygen saturation level.