Michalek-Zrabkowska, Monika, Wieckiewicz, Mieszko, Smardz, Joanna, Gac, Pawel, Poreba, Rafal, Wojakowska, Anna, Mazur, Grzegorz, and Martynowicz, Helena
Monika Michalek-Zrabkowska,1 Mieszko Wieckiewicz,2 Joanna Smardz,2 Pawel Gac,3 Rafal Poreba,1 Anna Wojakowska,1 Grzegorz Mazur,1 Helena Martynowicz1 1Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw 50-556, Poland; 2Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw 50-425, Poland; 3Department of Hygiene, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw 50-345, PolandCorrespondence: Mieszko WieckiewiczDepartment of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, 26 Krakowska Street, Wroclaw 50-425, PolandTel + 48 660 47 87 59Email m.wieckiewicz@onet.plPurpose: Sleep bruxism (SB) is characterized by repetitive phasic, tonic, or mixed masticatory muscle activity during sleep with multifactorial etiology. Previous studies have shown that the complex origin of SB can be related to the psychological features of the affected individual, consumption of caffeine and alcohol, smoking, obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, increased body mass index, hypertension, thyroid diseases, and probable genetic vulnerability. This study aimed to investigate the inflammatory markers, hormonal disturbances, and sleepiness associated with SB, which have a potential effect on the total cardiovascular (CV) risk among relatively young and healthy patients.Patients and Methods: A total of 74 individuals with probable SB were subjected to single-night polysomnography, followed by blood panel and 24-h urinary excretion tests. The level of daytime sleepiness was assessed in the participants using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.Results: SB was found in 78.4% of participants. The bruxism episode index (BEI) positively correlated with the concentrations of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen in the collected urine samples. A positive correlation was also found between phasic BEI and glucose concentration 2 h after the consumption of glucose solution. Sleep bruxers showed significantly increased sleepiness compared to nonbruxers (p = 0.02). The scores on sleepiness were positively correlated with mixed BEI, minimal oxygen saturation, and mean heart rate.Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that participants with SB had metabolic and hormonal disturbances, probably due to stress and sympathetic activity. Moreover, it was found that young sleep bruxers potentially have a high CV risk due to the increased level of inflammatory and stress markers.Keywords: sleep bruxism, obstructive sleep apnea, polysomnography, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory markers