The diagnosis and management of respiratory sleep disorders--the first 5 years at Groote Schuur Hospital.

While insomnia is a familiar management problem for most doctors, disorders of hypersomnolence are much less familiar. The evolution of sleep monitoring at a major South African teaching hospital is described and the classification of sleep disorders reviewed. Analysis of the first 5 years' experience revealed that 27 of 46 patients had sleep apnoea (all obstructive, but 13 with a central component), while 3 had narcolepsy. Contributing causes of sleep apnoea included obesity (25 patients), tonsillar enlargement (3), acromegaly (3), rheumatoid cervical spondylosis (1), Hunter's syndrome (1) and haemangioma of the throat (1). Death from sleep apnoea occurred in 3 cases. Treatment of specific causes was effective in abolishing sleep apnoea, although attempts at weight loss were effective in a minority only. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure was effective in achieving symptomatic relief. Sleep monitoring was found to be valuable, provided all-night study facilities are available, and provided that patients who simply snore are excluded by prior clinical evaluation.