Sleep-related respiratory disorders

Sleep-induced narrowing of the upper airways underlies the widespread and supposedly trivial complaint of snoring, which may not only constitute a risk factor for the cardiocirculatory system, but in predisposed individuals may lead to the OSAS. The latter is a life-threatening condition characterized by repeated episodes of cessation of respiration at night with an associated drop in SaO2. Patients frequently present with hypersomnia, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, and even heart failure. HSD is the term we use to describe the evolutive stages from snoring to OSAS. ICAH, or Ondine's curse, is the clinical syndrome of sleep-related respiratory insufficiency in the absence of airway stenosis. We do not consider central sleep apnea to be an independent disorder. For the treatment of HSD, weight reduction should be attempted first. Also, if there are malformations in the upper airway, they should be surgically corrected. The use of various medications has been rather discouraging, and CPAP and other devices that are intended to overcome the obstruction are poorly tolerated by patients. The most effective surgical treatment for OSAS, even in progressed stages of the disease, is tracheostomy.