Serum asprosin levels in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: relationship with disease severity and adipose tissue distribution.

Serum asprosin levels were significantly higher in OSAS patients than in the control group.

• The difference was statistically significant at p < 0.001.
• The study was prospective, single-center, and cross-sectional, conducted between January 2024 and January 2025.
• The overall mean age of participants was 47.2 ± 12.6 years, and 58.7% were male (n = 71).
• Serum asprosin levels were measured using ELISA.

Serum asprosin levels increased as OSAS disease severity increased.

• Participants were grouped according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
• The trend of increasing asprosin with increasing AHI-defined severity was a key finding of the study.
• Individuals with diabetes, malignancy, chronic organ diseases, or recent use of drugs or antioxidant supplements affecting metabolism were excluded to minimize confounding.

Serum asprosin levels showed a strong positive correlation with AHI and multiple adipose tissue distribution measures.

• Correlation coefficients were: AHI (R = 0.896), neck circumference (R = 0.726), subscapular skinfold (R = 0.582), abdominal skinfold (R = 0.677), and thigh skinfold (R = 0.671).
• All correlations were statistically significant at p < 0.001.
• Subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution was evaluated using skinfold thickness measurements.

ROC analysis identified a serum asprosin cut-off value of 22.49 ng/mL for distinguishing the severe OSAS group.

• At this threshold, sensitivity was 82% and specificity was 97%.
• The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.886.
• This cut-off was specifically derived for identifying the severe OSAS subgroup.

Asprosin levels were related to body fat tissue distribution in OSAS patients.

• Positive correlations were found between asprosin and subscapular, abdominal, and thigh skinfold measurements (R = 0.582, 0.677, 0.671, respectively; p < 0.001).
• Neck circumference also correlated positively with asprosin levels (R = 0.726, p < 0.001).
• These findings indicate that asprosin reflects not only disease severity but also regional adiposity.