Sleep Apnea Syndrome Appears Early,Complicated with Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Objectives:

The effect of allergic rhinitis on sleep apnea syndrome.

Methods:

75 outpatients had sleep trouble and consulted the sleep apnea clinic in the otolaryngology department of our hospital from November 2011 through October2012. They were arranged in 4 specific groups (with seasonal allergic rhinitis, with perennial allergic rhinitis, with both types of rhinitis, without allergies).This study was analyzed by Mann-Whitney U-test.

Results:

In our sleep apnea clinic, 35% had no allergic rhinitis and 65% had complicated allergic rhinitis (49/75), including 51%(25/49) with both perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis, 37% (18/49) with only seasonal rhinitis, and 12% (6/49) only perennial allergic rhinitis. RIST (radioimmunosorbents tests) of people with both types of rhinitis were higher than in other groups (p<0.05). The age of people with both types was lower than without it (p<0.05). Although AHI (apnea hypopnea index) of people without rhinitis were higher than with seasonal rhinitis (p<0.05), AHI without is not much different from with both types of rhinitis.

Conclusions:

According to inflammation of allergic rhinitis as high RIST, sleep apnea with both perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis developed young compared with sleep apnea and non allergic rhinitis. Sleep apnea was worse when complicated with severe allergic rhinitis. It is thought that nasal mucosal hypertrophy from inflammation of severe allergic rhinitis would cause nasal obstruction, and sleep apnea would worsen due to inflammation.