Thorax

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
[Advanced]

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this link to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Add article to my folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lam, B
Right arrow Articles by Ryan, C F
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lam, B
Right arrow Articles by Ryan, C F
Thorax 2005;60:504-510
© 2005 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Thoracic Society


SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING

Craniofacial profile in Asian and white subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea

B Lam1, M S M Ip1, E Tench2, C F Ryan2

1 University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C F Ryan
UBC Respiratory Clinic, Vancouver General Hospital, 2775 Heather Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 3J5, Canada; fryan{at}interchange.ubc.ca

Background: Clinical detection of structural narrowing of the upper airway may facilitate early recognition of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). To determine whether the craniofacial profile predicts the presence of OSA, the upper airway and craniofacial structure of 239 consecutive patients (164 Asian and 75 white subjects) referred to two sleep centres (Hong Kong and Vancouver) were prospectively examined for suspected sleep disordered breathing.

Methods: All subjects underwent a history and physical examination with measurements of anthropometric parameters and craniofacial structure including neck circumference, thyromental distance, thyromental angle, and Mallampati oropharyngeal score. OSA was defined as an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) of >=5/hour on full overnight polysomnography.

Results: Discriminant function analysis indicated that the Mallampati score (F = 0.70), thyromental angle (F = 0.60), neck circumference (F = 0.54), body mass index (F = 0.53), and age (F = 0.53) were the best predictors of OSA. After controlling for ethnicity, body mass index and neck circumference, patients with OSA were older, had larger thyromental angles, and higher Mallampati scores than non-apnoeic subjects. These variables remained significantly different between OSA patients and controls across a range of cut-off values of AHI from 5 to 30/hour.

Conclusions: A crowded posterior oropharynx and a steep thyromental plane predict OSA across two different ethnic groups and varying degrees of obesity.


Abbreviations: AHI, apnoea-hypopnoea index; BMI, body mass index; MS, Mallampati score; NC, neck circumference; OSA, obstructive sleep apnoea; OSAHS, obstructive sleep apnoea-hypoponea syndrome; TMA, thyromental angle; TMD, thyromental distance

Keywords: sleep apnoea; craniofacial structure; upper airway; ethnicity; prediction equations




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
ThoraxHome page
F Crummy, A J Piper, and M T Naughton
Obesity and the lung: 2 {middle dot} Obesity and sleep-disordered breathing
Thorax, August 1, 2008; 63(8): 738 - 746.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc Am Thorac SocHome page
N. M. Punjabi
The Epidemiology of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Proceedings of the ATS, February 15, 2008; 5(2): 136 - 143.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
ThoraxHome page
B. Lam, K. Sam, W. Y. Mok, M. T. Cheung, D. Y. Fong, J. C. Lam, D. C. Lam, L. Y. Yam, and M. S. lp
Randomised study of three non-surgical treatments in mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea
Thorax, April 1, 2007; 62(4): 354 - 359.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
ANN INTERN MEDHome page
A. T. Mulgrew, N. Fox, N. T. Ayas, and C. F. Ryan
Diagnosis and Initial Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea without Polysomnography: A Randomized Validation Study
Ann Intern Med, February 6, 2007; 146(3): 157 - 166.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
ThoraxHome page
A Mulgrew and J A Fleetham
How best to determine optimal nasal CPAP in patients with OSAH?
Thorax, March 1, 2006; 61(3): 186 - 187.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
C. M. Ryan and T. D. Bradley
Pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea
J Appl Physiol, December 1, 2005; 99(6): 2440 - 2450.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
Terms and conditions relating to subscriptions purchased online  ¦  Website terms and conditions  ¦  Privacy policy
Copyright © 2005 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Thoracic Society