The Role of the Nose in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Short Review

Abstract

A variety of causes may result in nasal obstruction including allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, anatomic abnormalities, and postoperative nasal packing. There is both an epidemiological and clinical relationship between nasal obstruction and sleep disordered breathing. Subsequently, improving nasal patency via surgical or non-surgical means is expected to relieve sleep disordered breathing. The present review will discuss and review some of the literature related to the pathophysiological interaction of the human nose and sleep disordered breathing and provide a summary of the effects of related intervention trials.

Zusammenfassung

Eine Reihe von Ursachen können zu einer nasalen Obstruktion führen, beispielsweise die allergische und nicht-allergische Rhinitis, anatomische Abnormitäten und postoperative Nasentamponaden. Es existiert ein epidemiologischer wie auch klinischer Zusammenhang zwischen nasaler Obstruktion und schlafbezogenen Atmungsstörungen. Folglich kann man erwarten, dass eine Verbesserung der nasalen Atmung mittels chirurgischer oder nicht-chirurgischer Maßnahmen zu einer Normalisierung der schlafbezogenen Atmungsstörungen führt. In dieser Übersicht wird die Literatur zu den pathophysiologischen Zusammenhängen zwischen der menschlichen Nase und den schlafbezogenen Atmungsstörungen diskutiert und eine Zusammenfassung der klinischen Evidenz therapeutischer Interventionen präsentiert.

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