OBJECTIVE

To study the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the complete blood count (CBC) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic cerebral ischemia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 229 patients. The main group included patients with OSA (n=183), and the control group included 46 subjects without disease manifestations. Depending on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) per hour, the main group included patients with mild (n=64), moderate (n=46), and severe (n=73) disease. The subjects had anthropometry, polysomnography, and a CBC done.

RESULTS

In patients with OSA, the red blood cell distribution index (RDW), the difference between the largest and smallest red blood cells (RDW-SD), the deviation of red blood cell size from normal (RDW-CV), platelet count (PCT), neutrophils (Ne (10⁹/L)), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocyte shift index (LSI), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were significantly higher than in the control group. In patients in the main group, a positive correlation was found between LSI and AHI (r=0.205, p=0.005), between MLR and body mass index (BMI) (r=0.286, p=0.000), neck circumference (r=0.246, p=0.001), AHI (r=0.292, p=0.000), and desaturation index (r=0.293, p=0.000). A positive correlation was also found in patients with apnea between SII and BMI (r=0.362, p=0.000), AHI (r=0.264, p=0.000) and desaturation index (r=0.262, p=0.000).

CONCLUSION

PDW, RDW-SD, RDW-CV, PCT, Ne, ESR, LSI, MLR, and SII are the most valuable CBC parameters for patients with OSA. These blood parameters may reflect the association of respiratory disorders with systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. In patients with mild OSA, these parameters did not differ from the control group, and in subgroups with moderate and severe disease, they were significantly higher.