Abstract
Background: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common breathing disorder during sleep with potential lethality and multi-complications. Polysomnography (PSG) is now the golden standard for the diagnosis obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. However, PSG is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, it is important to find inexpensive and convenient biomarkers for the diagnosis of OSAHS. Objective: The present study aimed to explore the potential diagnostic value of HIF-1α for OSAHS and its clinical significance. Methods: This study consisted of 368 patients admitted to the sleep laboratory. The patients were classified according to their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores as OSA negative (AHI < 5), mild-moderate (AHI:5-30), and severe OSA (AHI > 30), and severe OSA treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). qRT-PCR was used to detect mRNA levels in the plasma; Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation of HIF-1α mRNA level and the clinicopathological factors of OSAHS; ROC curve was constructed to evaluate the diagnostic value of HIF-1α mRNA. Results: HIF-1α mRNA was significantly up-regulated in the plasma of OSAHS patients, especially patients with severe OSAHS. HIF-1α mRNA was positively correlated with the AHI and ODI but negatively correlated with the mean oxygen saturation in patients with OSAHS. Results of ROC curve showed that HIF-1α is a sensitive biomarker for the diagnosis of OSAHS, especially severe OSAHS. Conclusions: HIF-1α mRNA might be used as s a convenient and inexpensive method for triaging OSAHS patients PSG assessment in the hospital and evaluate the curative effect.