HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Permissions Request Permissions Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carrera, M. Articles by Agustí, A.G.N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carrera, M. Articles by Agustí, A.G.N.

Effects of obesity upon genioglossus structure and function in obstructive sleep apnoea

¹ Servicios de Neumología, ² Otorhinolaryngology, ³ Anatomía Patológica, and ⁴ Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta, IUNICS, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

CORRESPONDENCE: F. Barbé, Servicio de Neumologia, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta, C/Andrea Doria, 55, 07014 Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Fax: 34 971175228. E-mail: fbarbe@hsd.es

Keywords: muscle, muscle contraction, muscle fibres, upper airway resistance

Received: October 30, 2002
Accepted October 1, 2003

Supported, in part, by FIS 95/1510, BAE 97/5490, Carburos metálicos, Air Products, ABEMAR, Red RESPIRA and grant RTIC C03/11.

Obesity is a common feature of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. It can influence the structure and function of skeletal muscles. However, its effects upon the upper airway muscles have not been explored directly.

This study assessed the structure and function of the genioglossus in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and in healthy subjects (with and without obesity, defined by a body mass index >30 kg·m^–2). Further, to investigate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome after at least 1 yr under CPAP were also studied.

The study found that obese and nonobese patients showed different in vitro geniglossus endurance properties. In obese patients, geniglossus endurance was indistinguishable from normal while, nonobese patients, at diagnosis, showed increased genioglossus fatigability; this was not observed in patients treated with CPAP. By contrast, patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome showed at diagnosis a higher percentage of type II fibres than controls and patients under CPAP treatment independently of obesity. This difference is mainly due to a predominance of subtype IIb fibre. This difference was not observed in the group of patients treated with CPAP. Genioglossus twitch force was normal in all patients.

These results suggest that different pathogenic mechanisms may underlie the development of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in obese and nonobese patients. This observation may have potential clinical implications.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. J. Eckert, A. Malhotra, Y. L. Lo, D. P. White, and A. S. Jordan The Influence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Gender on Genioglossus Activity During Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Chest, April 1, 2009; 135(4): 957 - 964. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Eckert and A. Malhotra Pathophysiology of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea Proceedings of the ATS, February 15, 2008; 5(2): 144 - 153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Pillar and N. Shehadeh Abdominal Fat and Sleep Apnea: The chicken or the egg? Diabetes Care, February 1, 2008; 31(Supplement_2): S303 - S309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]