Table 1. Characteristics of study participants.
| Characteristics | All participants | Males | Females | P-value * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (%) | 250 | 188 (75.2) | 62 (24.8) | … |
| Age, y | 57.3 ± 13.1 | 56.5 ± 13.7 | 59.7 ± 11.1 | 0.095 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.6 ± 4.9 | 26.5 ± 4.6 | 27.0 ± 5.8 | 0.480 |
| Neck circumference, cm | 39.8 ± 4.6 | 40.7 ± 4.2 | 37.2 ± 5.4 | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 96.7 ± 10.2 | 96.1 ± 9.3 | 98.6 ± 12.4 | 0.149 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 125.8 ± 13.7 | 125.7 ± 14.0 | 126.0 ± 12.8 | 0.870 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 77.8 ± 10.1 | 78.7 ± 10.3 | 75.0 ± 9.1 | 0.012 |
| Alcohol intake, g/d | 13.0 ± 23.0 | 16.8 ± 25.3 | 1.6 ± 4.5 | <0.001 |
| User of lipid-lowering agents, n(%) | 89 (35.6) | 63 (33.5) | 26 (41.9) | 0.284 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 36 (14.5) | 32 (17.1) | 4 (6.5) | 0.039 |
| CT parameters | ||||
| Time from PSG to CT, m | -0.3 ± 1.2 | -0.2 ± 1.0 | -0.5 ± 1.6 | 0.173 |
| CTLFA, HU | 54.1 ± 12.8 | 53.8 ± 12.0 | 55.1 ± 15.0 | 0.523 |
| VFA, cm2 | 113.6 ± 60.6 | 118.1 ± 61.7 | 100.2 ± 55.8 | 0.044 |
| SFA, cm2 | 160.4 ± 95.7 | 145.6 ± 82.9 | 205.2 ± 116.5 | <0.001 |
| Sleep parameters | ||||
| AHI, h-1 | 31.6 ± 20.1 | 34.0 ± 20.1 | 24.4 ± 20.0 | 0.001 |
| 4%ODI, h-1 | 23.8 ± 20.5 | 26.2 ± 20.6 | 16.7 ± 18.7 | 0.002 |
| %T<90, % | 13.3 ± 20.1 | 14.9 ± 20.6 | 8.7 ± 17.8 | 0.001 |
| Lowest SpO2 during sleep, % | 79.4 ± 10.1 | 79.0 ± 10.1 | 80.8 ± 9.9 | 0.119 |
| Arousal Index, h-1 | 31.0 ± 16.1 | 33.3 ± 16.0 | 23.9 ± 14.2 | <0.001 |
| REM sleep, % | 14.9 ± 6.2 | 14.8 ± 6.2 | 15.1 ± 6.1 | 0.760 |
| AHI during REM, h-1 | 35.3 ± 23.7 | 34.4 ± 23.6 | 37.9 ± 24.1 | 0.318 |
| Supine sleep time, % | 69.0 ± 26.2 | 69.0 ± 26.7 | 69.0 ± 24.4 | 0.987 |
| AHI in supine position, h-1 | 39.8 ± 24.1 | 43.3 ± 24.5 | 29.3 ± 23.1 | <0.001 |
| Epworth sleepiness scale score | 9.8 ± 5.3 | 10.0 ± 5.3 | 9.0 ± 5.1 | 0.180 |
| Blood parameters | ||||
| AST, IU/L | 24.5 ± 12.0 | 24.8 ± 11.9 | 23.6 ± 12.3 | 0.204 |
| ALT, IU/L | 28.3 ± 20.3 | 29.7 ± 20.8 | 24.3 ± 18.3 | 0.011 |
| CRP, mg/dL | 0.15 ± 0.24 | 0.14 ± 0.22 | 0.20 ± 0.28 | 0.284 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 141.6 ± 89.6 | 150.1 ± 94.3 | 115.7 ± 67.7 | 0.002 |
| HDL-cholesterol, mg/dL | 48.8 ± 12.3 | 47.1 ± 11.6 | 54.3 ± 12.8 | <0.001 |
| LDL-cholesterol, mg/dL | 112.4 ± 30.7 | 113.3 ± 29.9 | 109.8 ± 33.3 | 0.448 |
| Fasting plasma glucose, mg/dL | 104.5 ± 26.6 | 104.4 ± 24.0 | 104.6 ± 33.5 | 0.968 |
| HOMA-IR | 2.82 ± 3.17 | 2.71 ± 2.88 | 3.17 ± 3.92 | 0.772 |
All values are number (percentage) or mean ± standard deviation.
*Males vs. females.
A lower CTLFA means higher liver fat accumulation. Among users of lipid-lowering agents [38], 7 were taking pioglitazone, 76 statins, 4 eicosapentaenoic acid, 5 ezetimibe, 6 tocopherol, and 11 telmisartan; among them, 20 were taking 2 of these medicines.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CT, computed tomography; PSG, polysomnography; CTLFA, CT values for liver; VFA, visceral fat accumulation; SFA, subcutaneous fat accumulation; AHI, apnea-hypopnea index; ODI, oxygen desaturation index; %T<90, percentage of time spent with SpO2 below 90% to total sleep time; SpO2, oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry; REM, rapid eye movement; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.