Sleep-disordered breathing in male subjects with a history of nose-throat surgery

The question addressed in this study was: could a history of nose-throat surgery represent a risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing? Three hundred and fifty French male employees answered a sleep / respiration questionnaire and had anthropometric measurements. A history of nose and/or throat surgery-mostly tonsillectomy or tonsillectomy plus adenoïdectomy- was given by 69 (19.7%) of the subjects (“at risk” group). The prevalence of snoring, breathing pauses during sleep or grasping was similar in “at risk” and control (no history) subjects, but the prevalence of two symptoms: excessive daytime sleepiness and “waking up with headaches”, was significantly higher in the group at risk. The present results suggest the persistence of minor (residual?) airway obstruction in subjects with a history of nose/throat surgery. This obstruction could be responsible for an alteration of declared sleep quality, although not severe enough for eliciting breathing pauses.