The present study measured hypotonic pharyngeal collapsibility in subjects not known to have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and assessed the variables that affect collapsibility and the relationship with OSA. The critical value of positive end-expiratory pressure (P(crit)) was measured under the hypotonic condition of anaesthesia in 227 subjects who underwent elective surgery. The risk of OSA ...

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is already a staunch contributor to the national burden of respiratory disease and this burden is growing rapidly. Healthcare professionals are now increasingly aware of presenting symptoms such as snoring, ‘choking’ episodes during sleep and excessive daytime somnolence. When excessive daytime sleepiness is present, the condition is referred to as obstructive sle...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate serum cytokine concentrations in children with and without obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and to investigate the effects of OSA treatment on cytokines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive children with habitual snoring and symptoms suggestive of OSA were recruited. They completed a sleep apnoea symptom questionnaire, underwent physical examination and overnight polysomnogr...

BACKGROUND Clinical detection of anatomic narrowing of the upper airway may facilitate early recognition of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether anthropometric measurement can be used to predict OSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred forty-seven subject were included from those patients who were referred to our sleep laboratory with suspected sleep ...

Inspiratory flow limitation (FL) during sleep has previously been reported both in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients and heavy snorers (HS). Recent results from this laboratory have shown the occurrence both of inspiratory and expiratory flow limitation during muscular relaxation in awake healthy subjects and OSA patients. In this study, we have investigated whether expiratory flow limita...

Three patients involved in road traffic accidents were suspected to have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Two of them fell asleep while riding motorcycles and one patient fell asleep behind the wheel of a truck causing it to overturn. The diagnosis of OSA in each case was suspected based on a history of loud snoring, restless sleep, and excessive daytime somnolence and was confirmed by sleep stu...

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a complex disease entity strongly influenced by genetic factors, especially those that affect obesity and fat distribution, upper airway muscle tone, craniofacial morphology, ventilatory control and sleep, giving rise to the OSA phenotype. OSA can also be considered a metabolic syndrome which adversely affects multiple organ systems, especially the cardiovascul...

Moderate-to-large quantities of alcohol are known to aggravate severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), however, the reported effects of moderate alcohol consumption upon mild-to-moderate OSA are inconsistent. Given the reported benefits of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular mortality, recommendations regarding the management of patients with OSA are difficult to formulate. The aim of...

Nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux has been observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Negative intrathoracic pressure during apnoeas and arousal have been suggested as the underlying mechanisms. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, the coincidence and sequence in time of arousal, apnoea and reflux events were analysed. Fifteen patients with OSA or heavy snoring were studied by...

The identification of the areas of quality of life (QoL) most likely to be affected by obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) would be an important step in the evaluation of the impact of the disease and its treatment modalities. The objective of this study was to describe the impact of OSA on patients' QoL. A list of 186 items potentially related to QoL of patients with OSA was constructed. From this ...