Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

 

 

Causes and Risk Factors

 

Snoring results from soft tissue vibration at the back of the nose and throat due to tubulent airflow through narrowed air passages.

Risk factors include:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) results from upper airway obstruction due to collapse of the base of the tongue, soft palate with uvula, and epiglottis. Breathing efforts are therefore prevented, from 20 sec up to 3 min.

A distinctive snorting, choking results as the body arouses itself to take a resuscitive breath. This cycle can occur 100-600 times nightly.

Risk factors:

Central sleep apnea is the failure of the brain to send signals to muscles of repiration, resulting in absence of respiratory efforts. It is often secondary to CNS diseases such as brainstem infarction, infection, neuromusclular disease.

 

 

 

Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

 

A physical exam includes assessing obesity and looking for nasal polyps, septal deviation, turbinate hypertrophy, and enlargement of the uvula and tonsils.

Nocturnal polysomnography will diagnose OSA if more than 15 apneic episodes, with arousal, are recorded.

 

 

 

return to top

 

 

 

Pathophysiology

 

 

 

 

return to top

 

 

 

Treatments

 

Treatment for snoring includes:

Primary treatment for OSA is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure); this will maintain a patent airway in 95% of cases

Surgery: sonmoplasty, tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

 

If OSA is not controlled by CPAP, report to Ministry of Transportation.

 

 

 

 

return to top

 

 

 

Consequences and Course

 

Sleep apnea can lead to:

 

return to top

 

 

 

 

The Patient

 

 

 

return to top

 

 

Health Care Team

 

 

return to top

 

 

 

 

Community Involvement

 

 

 

return to top

 

 

 

 

 

References