Objective The current study discusses the relationship between sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and liver fibrosis by determining the level of plasma hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen III (PIII), collagen IV (IVC), and laminin (LN) in OSAHS patients and non-OSAHS patients with obesity and normal body weight.

Methods The patients who underwent polysomnographic (PSG) examinations in the outpatient and inpatient departments of our hospital between December 2010 and June 2013 were selected. The patients were divided into two groups based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI; OSAHS and non-OSAHS patients), and both groups were further divided based on obesity and normal body weight based on the body mass index (BMI). Sleep breathing indicators, including BMI, AHI, LSaO₂, and MSaO_2, were measured in all patients. All of the patients had their blood drawn on the morning after the day of the PSG examination, and the samples were sent to the biochemical laboratory of our hospital for determination of the levels of HA, PIII, IVC, and LN.

Results Among the obese and normoweight patients, the levels of HA, PIII, IVC, and LN in OSAHS patients were higher than the non-OSAHS patients (P value <0.05). Amongst the OSAHS and non-OSAHS patients, the levels of HA, PIII, IVC, and LN in the obese patients were also higher than the non-obese patients (P value <0.05). The levels of HA, PIII, IVC, and LN in the obese OSAHS patients were higher than the remaining three groups (P value <0.05). The levels of HA, PIII, IVC, and LN had positive correlations with the AHI and BMI (r=0.701, 0.523, 0.639, and 0.421, respectively, P<0.05; and r=0.565, 0.441, 0.475, and 0.401, respectively, P<0.05), and negative correlations with the LSaO₂ and MSaO₂ in OSAHS patients (r=–0.432, –0.394, –0.403, and –0.267, respectively, P<0.05; and r=–0.591, –0.517, –0.533, and –0.484, respectively, P<0.05).

Conclusion The levels of plasma HA, PIII, IVC, and LN in OSAHS patients were related to OSAHS. OSAHS might lead to liver fibrosis.