Abstract

Recently, interest for studying the relationship between sleep and immunological system has increased. The Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of respiratory cessation that occur during sleep. Recent studies have suggested the need to study the relation between OSAS and immune system. The objective of this study was to analyze the differences between subjects with OSAS and healthy ones in their immunological system. The sample was composed of thirteen patients with OSAS selected from a medical centre and sixteen healthy subjects. An index apnea/hypopnea (IAH) ? to 10 confirmed the OSAS diagnosis. In order to establish a diagnosis of OSAS a cardio-respiratory polygraph was applied during all the sleep hours to each patient. The results revealed significant differences in leukocytes (P< 0.01), and lymphocytes (P < 0.01) between subjects with OSAS and those healthy. No significant differences were found between groups in monolithic.