Association between the severity of OSAHS patients and serum PCSK9 levels
Xiaohui Zhang
- School of Medicine, Southeast UniversityNanjing, China
- Department of Cardiology, Yancheng First People’s Hospital, First Yancheng Hospital affiliated of Medical School, Nanjing UniversityYanCheng, China
Orcid profile, Tiantian Ge
Orcid profile, Songsong Song
Orcid profile, Ming Lou
Orcid profile and Jiayi Tong
Orcid profile 
Article Category: Original Study
Published Online: Aug 11, 2025
Page range: 119 - 126
Received: Jul 22, 2024
Accepted: Mar 24, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ahem-2025-0007
Keywords
© 2025 Xiaohui Zhang et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Introduction
Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a prevalent sleep and respiratory disorder with links to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions. The proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) is closely associated with these conditions. This study aims to assess serum PCSK9 levels in OSAHS patients and their correlation with disease severity. It aims to establish the significance of serum PCSK9 levels as a predictive indicator for OSAHS onset, progression, and severity.
Materials and Methods
182 participants without regular OSAHS medication were enrolled from a local hospital sleep clinic. Based on polysomnography and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), participants were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe OSAHS groups. Serum PCSK9 concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Comparative analyses were conducted using OSAHS severity, and multivariate logistic regression evaluated the relationship between serum PCSK9 levels and OSAHS severity.
Results
A significant positive association was found between serum PCSK9 levels and OSAHS severity (p < 0.001). Individuals with more severe OSAHS had higher serum PCSK9 levels, with this association remaining statistically significant after adjusting for confounders (p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed a good predictive value for OSAHS onset, progression, and severity, with an area under the curve of 0.81 (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that OSAHS affects serum PCSK9 levels, with severity positively linked to PCSK9 levels. Serum PCSK9 levels could be a reliable biomarker for OSAHS clinical evaluation and treatment.