Association of T lymphocyte immune imbalance and IL-10 gene polymorphism with the risk of obstructive sleep apnea in children with obesity.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the role of T lymphocyte immune imbalance and interleukin (IL)-10 gene polymorphism in the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in obese children.

METHODS: One hundred obese children at high-risk and low-risk for OSA based upon a sleep questionnaire were selected. Peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry, and plasma IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 cytokines were detected by ELISA. The relationships between OSA and the above variables were analyzed. IL-10 gene polymorphisms were analyzed by DNA sequencing.

RESULTS: Ninety subjects completed all the tests. Forty-two patients were diagnosed as OSA by PSG. Compared with non-OSA children, the levels of CD4+ T cells, IFN-γ, and IL-4 were increased (P < 0.05) whereas the numbers of CD4+ CD25+ Treg and NKT cells and the levels of IL-10 were reduced (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that IL-10 level was negatively associated with OAHI (OR 0.352, 95% CI 0.286-0.540; P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, IL-10 also had a strong negative association with OSA after adjustment for confounding factors from models 1 to 3. Correlative analysis showed that IL-10 levels had a positive association with CD4+ CD25+ Treg (r = 0.628, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the IL-10/A-1082G gene polymorphism correlated with OSA.

CONCLUSIONS: T lymphocyte immune imbalance was associated with OSA and IL-10 may play an important protective role in the pathogenesis of OSA in obese children.