Exhaled nitric oxide in patients with sleep apnea.

Cardiovascular diseases are frequent in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), but the mechanisms underlying this association are largely unknown. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key regulatory element of vascular physiology. The concentration of NO in the exhaled air ([NOexh]) appears to be reduced in patients with systemic and pulmonary hypertension. This study sought to investigate whether [NOexh] is abnormal in patients with OSAS, and to explore potential relationships between [NOexh] and the severity of OSAS. We measured [NOexh] in 24 patients with OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), 55 +/- 4 hour-1) (x +/- SEM), and in 7 healthy volunteers in whom OSAS was excluded clinically. [NOexh] was measured on line by a chemiluminescence analyzer (Dasibi Environmental Corporation, Glendale, Calif). Seven patients with OSAS (29%) had a positive history of cardiovascular disease. Mean [NOexh] was 19.7 +/- 3.2 ppb in healthy subjects, and 22.2 +/- 3.0 ppb in patients with OSAS (p = ns). [Noexh] was not significantly different in those patients with or without cardiovascular disease. [NOexh] was not significantly related to the AHI, the body mass index, or the arterial O2 saturation at night. These results show that [NOexh] is not abnormal in patients with OSAS, and that it does not relate to the presence of cardiovascular disease or to any of various common indices of disease severity.