Ricerc@Sapienza

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical performance of obstructive
sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) in acromegalic patients, focusing on the
possible correlation between alterations of pulmonary microcirculation and
patient’s clinical and hormonal parameters. Methods: We enrolled 22 acromegalic patients with apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ? 5 if symptomatic, or
?15 in the absence of sleep related symptoms. Patients underwent the following evaluations: GH and IGF-1 serum levels, arterial blood gas test, spirometry, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO), home-based cardiorespiratory sleep and pulmonary function test. Results: The prevalence of
OSAS was 66.6%. Patients with a severe form of OSAS appeared to be affected
from acromegaly for more years than those with a lower severity of disease
and those with acromegaly duration > 10 years had significantly higher levels
of glycated hemoglobin. We observed a positive correlation between GH level
at diagnosis and DLCO value, showing that acromegalic patients have an increase in static and dynamic respiratory volumes and alveolar-capillary exchange surface compared to the general population. We also observed a positive correlation between baseline serum IGF-1 level and DLCO/VA and between years of disease and DLCO/VA, showing the association of increased
lung volume and increase of the exchange surface. Conclusions: The results
of this study add new information on lung volume and alveolar gas exchange
in acromegaly. Our findings highlight the role of SSA as therapy with positive
impact on complication and comorbidities of acromegaly.