[Ventilatory control in familial obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the genetic abnormality of ventilatory control may play a role in the familial aggregation of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).


METHODS
Ten severe patients with OSAHS, 16 first relatives of them and 14 obese subjects were studied and the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR), the hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR) and the results of PSG were analyzed. HVR and HCVR of OSAHS patients were re-examined in the first, second and third month of continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) treatment.


RESULTS
(1) For the relatives of the OSAHS patients, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was (28.4 +/- 39.1)/h, the incidences of snoring and daytime sleepiness were 100% and 90%, They were higher than those of the control (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.01). OSAHS had familial aggregation. (2) The HVR and HCVR were (-19 +/- 24) cm H2O and (0.31 +/- 0.35) cm H2O/mm Hg for the relatives.Neither HVR nor HCVR showed difference between the relatives and the control (P > 0.05). Only two of the relatives with severe OSAHS had lower HVR, while the others, whether accompanied with OSAHS or not, had similar HVR and HCVR to the control. (3) HVR and HCVR returned to normal after CPAP therapy in patients of OSAHS.


CONCLUSIONS
OSAHS had familial aggregation, but it was not related to genetic abnormality of ventilatory control.
Wang
Wei
W
Institute of Respiratory Diseases, First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Kang
Jian
J
Jin
Guang-Ming
GM
Hou
Xian-Ming
XM
Yu
Run-Jiang
RJ
D000328:Adult; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006935:Hypercapnia / Q000503:physiopathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation / Q000502:physiology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012894:Sleep Stages