Severe sleep apnea damages liver

Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) appears to be a risk factor for liver damage, regardless of a patient being obese or not. In OSA, the breathing stops periodically and the back of the throat collapses intermittently during sleep causing brief but often frequent episodes of arrested breathing. The problem is often associated with obesity, but it can occur in normal weight individuals as well. Patient with the disorder often complain of daytime sleepiness as it disrupts sleep patterns at night. Researchers from the Hospital Saint-Antoine in Paris hypothesized that insulin resistance related to OSA, as well as direct lack of oxygen to the liver, could possibly be the reason for liver disease associated with OSA. They evaluated 163 patients referred to the sleep unit at the hospital for suspected OSA. Sleep studies showed that 44 had severe OSA, 84 had moderate OSA and 35 had no evidence of OSA. Testing revealed that liver tests were abnormal in 32 percent of those with severe OSA, 18 percent of those with moderate OSA and 8.6 percent with no OSA. Further analysis showed that severe OSA predicted abnormal tests, regardless of the patient's weight. Biopsies confirmed the presence of liver disease in a higher percentage of patients with severe OSA compared with the other groups. The findings recommend testing for OSA in patients with liver disease than can't be attributed to some other cause.