ABSTRACT

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) leads to complications in several systems. The purpose of this study was to examine serum magnesium and red cell distribution width (RDW) values in OSAS, a chronic inflammation, and thus to reveal the relations between these two parameters and with other sleep parameters.

Methods: A total of 160 patients diagnosed with OSAS and 50 controls were enrolled in this retrospective study. Study and control groups were constituted using the medical records. Age, gender, magnesium and RDW values were obtained from all patients’ medical records. Values for apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), SpO2, mean desaturation level, total sleep time (TST) and total sleep time in which oxygen saturation is below 90% (TST90) were also obtained from the polysomnography records.

Results: Red cell distribution width values of the patients in the study group were statistically significantly higher compared to those of the control group (p < 0.001). The magnesium levels of the patient group were significantly lower compared to those of the control group (p < 0.001). Also, serum RDW and Mg levels were negatively correlated.

Conclusion: We determined that serum magnesium levels decreased in the presence of OSAS and that this is related to the severity of OSAS. Similarly, we observed that RDW values increased in patients with OSAS and exhibited a significant correlation with AHI. Also, RDW and Mg levels were found to be negatively correlated. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature that demonstrates the association between RDW and Mg levels in the same patient population.