Purpose: To clarify the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and background factors in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
Participants and methods: One hundred fifty-one consecutive PDR patients were included in this study. These patients' SDB parameters, including the mean and lowest SpO(2), sleeping 4% oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and cumulative percentage of time spent at SpO(2) < 90% (CT90%), were measured. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether the SDB parameters correlated with systemic factors for PDR, including age, duration of diabetes, HbA1c value, incidence of hypertension, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), body mass index (BMI), and insulin therapy. Logistic regression analysis was also conducted to investigate whether the SDB evaluation items were factors independently associated with the incidence of hypertension.
Results: Hypertension and BMI were statistically correlated with all of the parameters. The eGFR was statistically correlated with 4% ODI and insulin therapy with the lowest SpO(2). Logistic regression analysis revealed 4% ODI and eGFR as factors independently contributing to the incidence of hypertension.
Conclusion: The results of our study confirmed the relationship between SDB and background factors reported to be risk factors for diabetic retinopathy progression in patients with PDR.