TABLE 3.
Changes in white blood cell count and serum concentration of inflammatory biomarkers after 3 months of oral appliance (OA) treatment in the responders and non‐responders. Responders and non‐responders were defined as patients with an AHI reduction of >50% and ≤50%, respectively, after 3 months of OA treatment
| Responders, median (IQR) | Non‐responders, median (IQR) | Effect size (95% CI)a | p b | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBCC | −0.20 (−0.50, 0.50) | −0.35 (−0.78, 0.08) | 0.587 (0.451–0.727) | .207 |
| hsCRP | −0.07 (−0.80, 0.10) | 0.00 (−0.53, 0.40) | 0.433 (0.298–0.568) | .333 |
| IL‐6 | −0.09 (−0.39, 0.48) | 0.10 (−0.20, 0.46) | 0.410 (0.280–0.557) | .202 |
| IL‐10 | 0.23 (−0.43, 0.66) | −0.02 (−0.39, 0.36) | 0.546 (0.408–0.680) | .528 |
| TNF‐α | −0.03 (−0.18, 0.19) | 0.13 (−0.07, 0.29) | 0.368 (0.243–0.519) | .057 |
AHI, apnea–hypopnea index; hsCRP, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein; IL, interleukin; IQR, interquartile range (25th, 75th percentiles); TNF, tumour necrosis factor; WBCC, white blood cell count
Values for IL‐6, IL‐10, and TNF‐α were missing in two, three, and one patients, respectively, in the non‐responder group; and for IL‐10 in four patients in the responder group
Effect size, according to Vargha and Delaney (see Methods for details)
p value for the difference between responders and non‐responders in biomarker level change during treatment