Key result
Poor sleep quality in airline pilots was independently associated with elevated levels of GDF-15 and FGF-21, and lower levels of adiponectin.
Why the study?
Poor sleep is a leading modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, and airline pilots are highly susceptible to sleep disturbances; whether poor sleep correlates with altered cardiometabolic plasma biomarkers was unknown.
Does poor sleep quality correlate with alterations in plasma cardiometabolic biomarkers in male airline pilots?
Cross-Sectional (n=117)
No
Does poor sleep quality correlate with alterations in plasma cardiometabolic biomarkers in male airline pilots?
Poor sleep quality in airline pilots is associated with adverse alterations in cardiometabolic biomarkers including adiponectin, FGF-21, and GDF-15.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Poor sleep quality may signal cardiometabolic stress in pilots; leaves open causal links and need for prospective outcome trials.
Background Insomnia and poor sleep are leading modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Given the high susceptibility of airline pilots (APs) to sleep disturbances, we sought to investigate the hypothesis that poor sleep in this professional group correlates with alterations in plasma biochemical markers that would reflect critical aspects in the pathophysiology of cardiometabolic disorders. Methods In this preliminary cross-sectional study, we examined the relation of poor sleep to fourteen plasma biomarkers reflecting multiple cardiometabolic pathways in a convenience sample of 117 male APs. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to categorize the participants into good sleepers (n = 70, 59.8%; PSQI scores from 0 to 4) and poor sleepers (n = 47, 40.2%; PSQI scores of 5 or higher). The concentrations of biomarkers were compared between the two groups using both univariable and multivariable analyses. Results Compared to good sleepers, APs identified as poor sleepers exhibited significantly different levels of four plasma cardiometabolic biochemical markers in univariable analysis. However, in multivariable-adjusted analysis, only three biomarkers, adiponectin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21, and growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15, remained independently associated with poor sleep. Conclusion Poor sleep quality in APs correlates with lower plasma concentrations of adiponectin and elevated levels of FGF-21 and GDF-15. Further longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the role of these biomarkers in the link between sleep disturbances and cardiometabolic risk in this professional group.
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Riera et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Sleep disturbances and cardiometabolic risk (n=117). Poor sleep quality vs. Good sleep quality was evaluated on Elevated plasma GDF-15 levels (ng/mL) (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12-1.34, p=<0.001). Poor sleep quality in airline pilots was independently associated with elevated levels of GDF-15 and FGF-21, and lower levels of adiponectin.
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