Sleep-Disordered Breathing Tied to Insulin Resistance in Pregnancy

MONDAY, Jan. 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with insulin resistance in early pregnancy, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in SLEEP.

Laura Sanapo, M.D., from the Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues examined the association between maternal SDB and glucose metabolism among women with body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m² with singleton pregnancies. The associations were examined among 192 pregnant women, with a median BMI of 35.14 kg/m², who underwent an in-home sleep study and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) at 11.14 and 15.35 gestational weeks, respectively.

The researchers found that after adjustment for covariates, the respiratory event index (REI) and oxygen desaturation index as continuous variables of SDB were associated with HOMA-insulin resistance (IR). After adjustment for BMI, an obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis (REI value: more than five events per hour) was not associated with HOMA-IR. There was no association observed for any of the parameters with β-cell function.

"Among pregnant women with overweight and obesity, objectively determined SDB is associated with an increase in insulin resistance, but not insulin secretion, in early pregnancy, after controlling for multiple factors," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to further investigate the association and its impact on the development of gestational diabetes."

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