Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea May Benefit From Tongue, Pharyngeal Exercises NEW YORK -- May 7, 2009 -- Practicing certain tongue and pharyngeal exercises may reduce symptoms of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a study published in the second May issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard treatment for severe OSA, the vast majority of subjects from epidemiological studies have mild or moderate OSA. The compliance to CPAP among mild to moderate OSA is variable, and there are only a few forms of alternative treatments for this large number of subjects and patients. "It was commonly thought among doctors that strengthening and toning oropharyngeal muscles would have no benefit to the patient during sleep, but a recent study showed that didgeridoo playing helped decrease snoring and OSA," said Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho, MD, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. "This was a change of paradigm, and indicated that not everything you do during the day is lost during sleep." Dr. Lorenzi-Filho and colleagues investigated the effects of exercises on the symptoms of OSA in the first randomised, controlled study to do so. They recruited a group of 31 recently-diagnosed patients, who were evaluated for OSA severity using polysomnography. Snoring frequency and intensity, daytime sleepiness and sleep quality were assessed using self-reports and validated questionnaires. The subjects were the randomised to 2 groups -- an exercise group and a control group. Each of the 16 individuals in the exercise group underwent a daily and weekly regimen of tongue and pharyngeal exercises. The 15 individuals in the control group underwent a sham treatment regimen involving deep breathing and nasal lavage with a saline solution. After 3 months, there were no significant changes to OSA symptoms in the control group. However, the treatment group showed significant improvements in lowest oxygen saturation levels in blood, subjective sleepiness, snoring symptoms and quality of sleep scores. In addition, while there were no changes in abdominal circumference in either group, neck circumference decreased significantly in the treatment group with no concomitant changes in body mass index. "These data suggest that the exercises were able to promote remodelling of the upper airways," Said Dr. Lorenzi-Filho. Overall, the treatment groups showed a 40% decrease in OSA severity. Ten of the 16 patients in the treatment group who had originally been classified as having moderate OSA based on their apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI) score were reclassified as having either mild (8) or no OSA (2). "This was nearly two thirds of the treatment group, whereas none of the control group were reclassified with a milder disease," said Dr. Lorenzi-Filho. "This indicates to us that these exercises have significant potential to improve symptoms in sufferers of OSA." SOURCE: American Thoracic Society E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version