Prevalence of Laryngeal Muscle Tension in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: To determine the prevalence of laryngeal muscle tension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective case-control.

METHODS

A total of 75 patients were included in this study. These were divided into a study group with a history of OSA (n = 45), and a control group with no history of OSA matched according to age and gender (n = 30). The risk of OSA was assessed using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. Demographic data included age, gender, body mass index, smoking, history of snoring, history of use of continuous positive airway pressure, and history of reflux disease. Symptoms such as hoarseness, throat clearing/cough, and globus sensation were also noted. The video recordings of the flexible nasopharyngoscopy of both groups were analyzed for the presence or absence of four laryngeal muscle tension patterns (MTPs).

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients of the study group (55.6%) had signs of laryngeal muscle tension on laryngeal endoscopy compared to nine in the control patients (30%) (P = 0.029). The most common MTP observed in the study group was MTP III (n = 19), followed by MTP II (n = 17). Laryngeal muscle tension was more prevalent in patients of the intermediate and high-risk categories compared to those of the low-risk category (73.3% and 62.5% vs 28.6%, respectively) (P = 0.042). Patients with at least one MTP had more dysphonia and throat clearing than patients without any MTP.

CONCLUSION

Patients with a history of OSA have a higher prevalence of laryngeal muscle tension in comparison to subjects with no history of OSA. Moreover, patients at high risk of OSA have a higher prevalence of laryngeal muscle tension than those at low risk of OSA.