The obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: case studies.

We describe the upper airway abnormalities and sleep observations of cardiorespiratory function in six patients with the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. They were all men, the youngest had evident upper airway obstruction from enlarged tonsils while the rest had no gross mechanical obstruction on direct laryngoscopy but had demonstrable abnormalities of flow-volume loop recordings. Sleep studies demonstrated marked cyclical variation of heart rate and arterial oxygen desaturation. These were associated with loud snoring and cyclical hyper-ventilation and hypo-ventilation. These features were characteristic of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. This paper documents the classic features of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in an Oriental population.