Genetic variations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol on metabolic disorders in obstructive sleep apnea

The study aimed to explore the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) genetic variants and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its complications, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), insulin resistance (IR), and metabolic syndrome (MS).

4329 individuals with suspected OSA who underwent a comprehensive assessment of anthropometric, biochemical, and polysomnography (PSG) data, along with 30 LDL-C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were enrolled. The 10-year Framingham CVD risk score (FRS), IR and MS were evaluated for each subject. Linear regression and logistic regression were utilized to examine the correlations among these variables.

After the Benjamini-Hochberg correction, linear regression results indicated positive correlations between variants rs3741297 and rs629301 with FRS (β = 0.031, P_BH=0.002; β = 0.026, P_BH=0.015). Logistic regression revealed that rs3741297 increased MS risk among total subjects [OR = 1.67 (95% CI:1.369–2.038), P_BH=1.32 × 10^− 5] and increased IR risk in females [OR = 3.475 (95% CI:1.653–7.307), P_BH=0.03]. In males, rs2642438 decreased MS risk [OR = 0.81 (95% CI:0.703–0.933), P_BH=0.045].

The rs3741297 variant correlated with susceptibility to CVD, IR, and MS in the OSA population. OSA, CVD, IR and MS share a potentially common genetic background, which may promote precision medicine.

The study protocol was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900025714).