Are the sleep disorders responsible for the protein markers changing? Which is the chicken and which is the egg?
Sölve Elmståhl
The research community needs more knowledge about the link between sleep disorders and various cardiometabolic diseases. “We already know that there are proteins or biomarkers in the blood that are strongly linked to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. This is one of the first studies to look at the relationship between biomarkers and sleep disorders to see if there is a connection. There is an extremely complex pattern behind disease development. We hope to be able to contribute with information on possible pathways for disease development”, says Sölve Elmståhl, professor of geriatrics and coordinator of the strategic research area (SRA) EpiHealth at Lund University.
The new study used data from the SRA EpiHealth responsible for the population study of 25 000 people living in Malmö and Uppsala in the 45–75 age group. An analysis was carried out of blood samples stored in a biobank from 2430 people who had answered questions about their sleep. About 90 per cent of the participants slept a normal duration, while 8 per cent slept less than six hours per night and 4 per cent slept more than nine hours.
With the help of tailor-made new technology, it is now possible to study many proteins in blood plasma at the same time. The study examined 243 different proteins linked to cardiometabolic diseases. Five of the proteins stood out in the study – follistatin (FS), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), urokinase receptor (UPAR), adrenomedullin (ADM) and kidney injury molecule (KIM) – presenting a U-shaped association with sleep duration. The levels of the biomarkers were high in subjects with short sleep duration, but decreased during normal sleep, increasing again in those with more than nine hours of sleep. The curve looks like a U when the data is displayed.
Source: Healthcare in Europe
