Elevated serum calprotectin as an inflammatory marker in obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the serum calprotectin (SCal) levels and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS Sixty-seven OSA patients and 46 healthy volunteers without any sleep disorders were included in the study. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to the severity of OSA. The SCal levels and NLR values were compared among subgroups and between the experimental and control groups. RESULTS The mean SCal level and NLR value were higher in the study group than in the control group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). The SCal levels were significantly higher in patients with severe OSA than in those with moderate and mild OSA (p = 0.004 and p = 0.001, respectively). DISCUSSION Unlike NLR, the SCal level may inform the severity of OSA and could be used as an indicator for OSA.