[Can an anomaly of the central nervous system be responsible for hemodynamic disorders]

Twenty-seven subjects with insomnia or diurnal hypersomnolence presented a sleep apnea syndrome when their respiration was systematically checked during sleep. These sleep-induced respiratory abnormalities were completely occult and pulmonary function tests performed during wakefulness were normal. The patients, all non-obese, presented serious pulmonary artery pressure changes which were directly connected with the repetitive sleep apneas. Half of the patients also had systemic hypertension. Two children (aged 11 and 15) underwent tracheostomies which by-passed the sleep-induced obstruction. Systemic hypertension was reduced after surgery.