[Sleep apnea in neurological disorders].

The results of the study of sleep apnea (SA) in different forms of neurological disorders (cerebral stroke, diabetic polyneuropathy, neuromuscular diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--ALS) are presented. Two hundred and two patients, 103 male and 99 female, aged 17-84 years, have been investigated, using questionnaires and polysomnography. Nocturnal recording of EEG, EMG, electrooculography, oronasal air flow, respiratory thorax and abdomen movements, oxyhemoglobin saturation and breathing sounds has been performed. Clinical features of sleep apnea (SA) were most prominent in patients with neuromuscular diseases (58%) and ALS (54%), however the nocturnal study confirmed the presence of SA in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (53%, mean RDI 15.7 +/- 18.7 epis./h) and cerebral stroke (41%, mean RDI 12.6 +/- 15.6 epis./h). A comparison of the patient's characteristics and sleep breathing indices revealed that factors of neurological damage contribute most significantly to ALS, but in diabetic neuropathy, age and obesity play a greater role.