S. Imagawa et al., Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor are elevated in patients withobstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, BLOOD, 98(4), 2001, pp. 1255-1257
To better understand how humans adapt to hypoxia, the levels of hemoglobin
(Hb), serum erythropoietin (Epo), and vascular endothelial growth factor (V
EGF) were measured in 106 patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypo
pnea syndrome. The results indicated that temporal hypoxic stimulation incr
eases Hb. Furthermore, a minor increase in Epo and a substantial increase i
n VEGF were found. The induction in patients with severe sleep apnea was gr
eater than that reported in other types of hypoxia.