Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is notably prevalent in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This syndrome not only elevates cardiovascular risk but is also implicated in the advancement and exacerbation of microangiopathy. The objective of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of diabetic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes who have OSA.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 patients with DT2 who were hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology in Tunis. The inclusion criteria were patients aged 30 years or older with type 2 diabetes diagnosed for at least 2 years. The study excluded patients with known OSA, any endocrinopathy that could be the cause of OSA, acute respiratory failure, acute or chronic bronchopneumonia, or bronchopulmonary tumour pathology. Screening for OSA was conducted using the Berlin questionnaire and the ApneaLink sleep screening device.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 59.37±7.80 years, with a sex ratio of 0.58. Hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia were present in 68%, 69.2% and 33.8% of the cases respectively. The mean Body Mass Index was 30.53±5.16 kg/m². The mean duration of diabetes was 12.54±7.81 years. The mean HbA1c was 11.15±1.82%. Among our patients, 18.5% were smokers with a mean of 35.79 pack-years, and 8.5% were occasional alcohol drinkers. A total of 76.9% had at least one diabetic microangiopathy. Diabetic retinopathy was present in 54.47% of patients: mild in 26.78%, moderate in 5.35% and proliferative in 36.6%. Nephropathy was present in 30.8% of patients. Diabetic neuropathy occurred in 58.8% of cases. Macroangiopathic complications was found in 36,9% of patients: Coronary insufficiency, Stroke and arteritis of the lower limbs occurred in 15.3%, 5.3% and 26.9% respectively. Sixty-two-point three percent of patients were at high risk of OSA according to the Berlin score. The OSA was mild in 41%, moderate in 15% and severe in 5% of cases. A statistically positive association was found between diabetic nephropathy and high risk of OSA, which persisted after multivariate analysis. However, no association was found between macroangiopathies and high OSA risk.

Conclusion: OSA is associated with complications related to T2D. There is moderate evidence suggesting a connection between OSA and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in patients with Type 2 T2D. Robust prospective studies with extended follow-up periods are crucial to investigate the potential correlation between OSA and T2D complications.