Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP improves chronic inflammation measured by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with chronic inflammation likely triggered by nocturnal, intermittent hypoxemia and increased adrenergic tone. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was recently described as a measure of subclinical systemic inflammation. Studies on the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in OSA on subclinical inflammation measured by NLR are lacking. We hypothesize that NLR levels would improve as chronic inflammation diminishes in patients with OSA treated with CPAP.