Nocturnal Intermittent Hypoxia and Metabolic Syndrome; the Effect of being Overweight: the CIRCS Study

Aim: We investigated whether nocturnal intermittent hypoxia, a surrogate marker for obstructive sleep apnea, is associated with metabolic syndrome and its components among Japanese.Methods: We examined 1,710 male and 2,896 female community-dwelling Japanese aged 40 to 69, who participated in annual cardiovascular examinations and investigations of sleep. Nocturnal intermittent hypoxia was estimated based on a 3% oxygen desaturation index measured with pulse-oximetry during sleep. No, mild and moderate-to-severe nocturnal intermittent hypoxia were defined by