Serum and Plasma Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Levels in Individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

• Main Authors: Mohammad Moslem Imani, Masoud Sadeghi, Habibolah Khazaie, Mehrdad Emami, Dena Sadeghi Bahmani, Serge Brand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
• Series: Life
• Subjects: obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; cytokine; tumor necrosis factor alpha; serum; plasma; meta-analysis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/6/87

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with a variety of inflammatory factors. Specifically, proinflammatory cytokines appear to be associated with the pathogenesis of OSAS. Methods: For the present meta-analysis and meta-regression on serum and plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels in individuals with and without OSAS, we performed a systematic search without any restrictions of the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to find relevant articles published up to February 1, 2020. Results: Fifty-five (adults: 29 studies on serum and 17 studies on plasma; children: 4 studies on serum and 5 studies on plasma) were included and analyzed. Always compared to age-matched healthy controls, the pooled MDs were as follows: adults, serum: 10.22 pg/mL (95% CI = 8.86, 11.58; <i>p</i> < 0.00001); adults, plasma: 5.90 pg/mL (95% CI = 4.00, 7.80; <i>p</i> < 0.00001); children, serum: 0.21 pg/mL (95% CI = 0.05, 0.37; <i>p</i> = 0.01); children, plasma: 5.90 pg/mL (95% CI = 4.00, 7.80; <i>p</i> < 0.00001). Conclusions: Compared to healthy and age-matched controls, adult individuals with OSAS had significantly higher serum/plasma TNF-α levels. For children with OSAS, significantly higher levels were observed for TNF-α in serum but not in plasma.