SynthesisSleep medicine reviews2012
Is obstructive sleep apnea associated with cortisol levels? A systematic review of the research evidence.
Synthesis in Sleep medicine reviews, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 69 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations Between Morning Salivary and Blood Cortisol Concentrations in Individuals With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Sleep apnoea and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in men and women: effects of continuous positive airway pressure.The European respiratory journal · 2016Trial
- Poor sleep quality and sleep apnea are associated with higher resting energy expenditure in obese individuals with short sleep duration.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2012Trial
- Melatonin and Cortisol Concentration Before and After CPAP Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Article
- Implications of sleep disorders for periodontitis.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2023Review
- Salivary parameters and periodontal inflammation in obstructive sleep apnoea patients.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Circadian Biology in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Single-step label-free nanowell immunoassay accurately quantifies serum stress hormones within minutes.Science advances · 2021Article
- Exploring the Biopsychosocial Pathways Shared by Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC): A Literature Overview.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Recent Advances in Studies on the Role of Neuroendocrine Disorders in Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome-Related Atherosclerosis.Nature and science of sleep · 2021Review
- Treating sleep disorders to improve blood pressure control and cardiovascular prevention: a dream come true?-a narrative review.Journal of thoracic disease · 2020Review
- Psychological Profile and Distinct Salivary Cortisol Awake Response (CAR) in Two Different Study Populations with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC).Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
- Effects of obstructive sleep apnea on endogenous circadian rhythms assessed during relaxed wakefulness; an exploratory analysis.Chronobiology international · 2020Article
- The Course of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Patients With Acromegaly During Treatment.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2020Article
- Serum testosterone/cortisol ratio in people with obstructive sleep apnea.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2020Article
- OSA and Cardiovascular Risk in Pediatrics.Chest · 2019Review
- Adrenal gland size in obstructive sleep apnea: Morphological assessment of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activity.PloS one · 2019Article
- Impaired Glucose Metabolisms of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Type 2 Diabetes.Journal of diabetes research · 2018Article
- Obstructive sleep apnea and hormones - a novel insight.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2017Article
- The Functional and Clinical Significance of the 24-Hour Rhythm of Circulating Glucocorticoids.Endocrine reviews · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis; however a relationship between OSA and altered cortisol levels has not been conclusively established. We conducted a systematic review using the PRISMA Guidelines based on comprehensive database searches for 1) studies of OSA patients compared to controls in whom cortisol was measured and 2) studies of OSA patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in whom cortisol was measured pre and post treatment. Five electronic databases were searched along with the reference lists of retrieved studies. The primary outcomes were 1) differences in cortisol between OSA and control subjects and 2) differences in cortisol pre-post CPAP treatment. Sampling methodology, sample timing and exclusion criteria were evaluated. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity of studies precluded statistical pooling. One study identified differences in cortisol between OSA patients and controls. Two studies showed statistically significant differences in cortisol levels pre-post CPAP. The majority of studies were limited by assessment of cortisol at a single time point. The available studies do not provide clear evidence that OSA is associated with alterations in cortisol levels or that treatment with CPAP changes cortisol levels. Methodological concerns such as infrequent sampling, failure to match comparison groups on demographic factors known to impact cortisol levels (age, body mass index; BMI), and inconsistent control of variables known to influence HPA function may have limited the results.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.