Oropharyngeal examination as a predictor of obstructive sleep apnea: pilot study of gag reflex and palatal reflex

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria Vol. 69; no. 5; pp. 805 - 808
• Main Authors: Valbuza, Juliana Spelta, de Oliveira, Márcio Moysés, Conti, Cristiane Fiquene, Prado, Lucila Bizari F, Carvalho, Luciane B C, do Prado, Gilmar Fernandes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 01.10.2011; Academia Brasileira de Neurologia (ABNEURO)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; apneia obstrutiva do sono; Case-Control Studies; Female; Gagging - physiology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; NEUROSCIENCES; Oropharynx - physiopathology; Pilot Projects; Polysomnography; Predictive Value of Tests; PSYCHIATRY; reflexo nauseoso; reflexo palatal; SAOS; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - physiopathology; obstructive sleep apnea; SAOS; reflexo nauseoso; palatal reflex; reflexo palatal; OSA; gag reflex; apneia obstrutiva do sono
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 1678-4227; 0004-282X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2011000600015

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has high prevalence and may cause serious comorbidities. The aim of this trial was to show if simple noninvasive methods such as gag reflex and palatal reflex are prospective multivariate assessments of predictor variables for OSA. We evaluate gag reflex and palatal reflex, of fifty-five adult patients, and their subsequent overnight polysomnography. Forty-one participants presented obstructive sleep apnea. The most relevant findings in our study were: [1] absence of gag reflex on patients with severe obstructive apnea (p=0.001); [2] absence of palatal reflex on moderate obstructive apnea patients (p=0.02). Gag reflex and palatal reflex, a simple noninvasive test regularly performed in a systematic neurological examination can disclose the impact of the local neurogenic injury associated to snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.