Apnea and nasal mucociliary clearance
Cenk Evren1, Fikret Çınar2
1Medilife Beylikdüzü Hastanesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
2İstanbul Bilim Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı,istanbul, Türkiye
Keywords: Apnea, mucociliary clearance, saccharin test.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the nasal mucociliary clearance time in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and simple snoring.
METHODS: Fifty patients (40 males, 10 females; mean age 46.22 years; range 29 to 67 years) who were admitted to our clinic with complaint of snoring and performed polysomnography due to clinical necessity between October 2009 and April 2010 were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to apnea hypopnea index (AHI). Patients with AHI score <5 were recorded as simple snoring group (n=23), and with AHI score >5 as apnea group (n=27). Also, a control group of 29 healthy volunteers (16 males, 13 females; mean age 39.4 years; range 21 to 61 years) was created. Saccharine test was performed before bedtime in the night during which the polysomnography was to be conducted and within the first half hour after waking up in the morning.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the mean age of patients in the simple snoring and apnea groups (p>0.05). In the simple snoring group, mean clearance time was 25.7 min. in the evening and 23.2 min. in the morning. In the apnea group, mean clearance time was 19.0 min. in the evening and 19.8 min. in the morning. In the control group, mean clearance time was 24.2 minutes in the evening and 24.1 minutes in the morning. Accordingly, no statistically significant difference was detected between the simple snoring and apnea groups in the morning and evening measurements of clearance (p=0.102, p=0.301). There was no statistically significant difference between the simple snoring and apnea groups in terms of the measurements of clearance (p=0.522, p=0.596). There was no statistically significant difference between mild, moderate and severe apnea groups with control group in terms of mucociliary clearance time (p=0.323, p=0.274).
CONCLUSION: As a result of our study, no statistically significant difference was detected between the simple snoring and apnea groups in terms of morning and evening clearance measurements. Also, there was no statistically significant difference within each group in terms of clearance measurements.