Role of Galectin-3 As a Biomarker in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Publisher Pubmed



Khalaji A^{1, 2} ; Amirkhani N¹ ; Sharifkashani S¹ ; Behnoush AH^{1, 2} Show Affiliations
Source: Sleep and Breathing Published:2023

Abstract

Background: Because obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent condition, biomarkers for OSA would be very useful. Galectin-3 has gained attention as a marker for several diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between circulating galectin-3 levels and OSA. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were explored to find the studies evaluating galectin-3 in OSA and controls, within different severities of OSA, or before and after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment in cases with OSA. We used random-effect meta-analysis to calculate standardized mean differences (SMD) along with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used assessment of the risk of bias in studies. Results: An initial search resulted in 289 results. After exclusion of duplicate studies, screening of titles/abstracts and assessments of full texts, six studies were included comprised of 987 cases with a mean age of 54.4 years. Meta-analysis showed that there were significantly higher galectin-3 circulating levels in patients with OSA than in healthy controls (SMD 0.80, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.31, p value < 0.01). Severe OSA was related to higher levels of galectin-3, in comparison to non-severe OSA (SMD 0.76, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.22, p value < 0.01). CPAP therapy also significantly reduced galectin-3 peripheral levels in patients with OSA (SMD − 3.55, 95% CI − 6.90 to − 0.20, p value = 0.04). Conclusion: The findings suggest that Galectin-3 may have potential utility as a biomarker in patients with OSA. Further research is needed to demonstrate its role in pathophysiology, as well as its possible use in diagnosis and prognosis. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.