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Inhomogeneous neuromuscular injury of the genioglossus muscle in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea

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Abstract

Purpose

Muscle injury exists in the upper airway in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, whether this injury is homogeneous remains unclear. The objective of this study was to measure neuromuscular changes in the anterior and posterior genioglossus muscle (GG) in subjects with OSA using motor unit potentials (MUPs).

Methods

Male subjects underwent diagnostic sleep studies to obtain apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT) data. MUPs of the anterior and posterior GG were recorded. Mean values and outliers of MUP parameters were analyzed.

Results

Seventeen subjects with severe OSA (AHI, 72.3 ± 16.7 events/h) and nine control subjects (AHI, 3.7 ± 0.4 events/h) were enrolled in this study. In the control group, the MUP values of amplitude, duration, area, area/amplitude, and size index did not differ significantly between the posterior and anterior GG. In the OSA group, these values were significantly higher in the posterior than anterior GG (amplitude: P = 0.011; duration: P = 0.007; area: P = 0.008; size index: P = 0.033). Posterior GG values were greater in the OSA group than in the control group, whereas anterior values were similar. A larger proportion of subjects with OSA had outlying values for the posterior GG than anterior GG (52.9 vs. 11.8 %; P < 0.05). No significant correlation between MUP parameters and body mass index, AHI, or LSAT was observed in the OSA group.

Conclusions

Chronic neuromuscular injury in subjects with OSA was more severe in the posterior than in the anterior GG.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 81170902).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, 1# Dongjiaominxiang Street, Beijing, 100730, China

    Hong Zhang, Jing-Ying Ye, Li Zheng & Yu-Huan Zhang

  2. Biomedical Engineering Institute of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Lin Hua

  3. Department of Neurology, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China

    Zhao-Hui Chen & Li Ling

  4. Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Qiang Zhu & Li-Mei Wang

Authors
  1. Hong Zhang
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  2. Jing-Ying Ye
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  3. Lin Hua
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  4. Zhao-Hui Chen
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  5. Li Ling
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  6. Qiang Zhu
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  7. Li-Mei Wang
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  8. Li Zheng
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  9. Yu-Huan Zhang
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Correspondence to Jing-Ying Ye.

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Zhang, H., Ye, JY., Hua, L. et al. Inhomogeneous neuromuscular injury of the genioglossus muscle in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 19, 539–545 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1044-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1044-3

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