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The relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea and body mass index
J Rollheim1, T Osnes, H Miljeteig
1Department of Otolaryngology, St Olav's Clinic, Vestfold Central Hospital, Tønsberg, Norway.
Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences
|January 7, 1998
Summary
Obesity shifts airway obstruction lower in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This finding may explain why many obese individuals have poor outcomes after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UVPP) surgery.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Otolaryngology
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common in obese patients.
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UVPP) has limited success and high relapse rates in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the level of airway obstruction during sleep in obese men with OSA.
- To correlate obstruction levels with body mass index (BMI) and apnoea index (AI).
Main Methods:
- Utilized a catheter with multiple micropressure transducers.
- Employed a portable digital recorder for sleep monitoring in 31 male OSA patients.
- Analyzed the proportion of apnoeic episodes with obstruction at different airway levels.
Main Results:
- A higher BMI correlated with obstruction at lower airway levels during apnoea.
- Obese patients (BMI > 30) with significant apnoea (AI > 5) predominantly showed lower airway obstructions.
- P-values < 0.05 indicate statistical significance for these correlations.
Conclusions:
- Increasing obesity appears to shift the site of obstruction lower in the airway during sleep.
- This lower-level obstruction may underlie the poor response and relapse rates observed after UVPP in obese OSA patients.