title: Retropalatal Müller grade is associated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea in non-obese Asian patients. Retropalatal Müller grade and OSA in non-obese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical evaluations could be used for predicting the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in non-obese snoring patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study, and a total of 244 non-obese (body mass index, BMI, <27 kg/m(2)) snoring patients (178 men and 66 women; mean age = 43.1 ± 12.1 years) were included. Each patient underwent polysomnography and a thorough physical examination, including flexible nasopharyngoscopy and Müller maneuver. Patients were divided into four groups based on apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores: normal (simple snoring), AHI < 5; mild OSA, 5 ≦ AHI < 15; moderate OSA, 15 ≦ AHI < 30; severe OSA, AHI ≧ 30. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for OSA severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-nine patients (24%) were simple snorers. The prevalence of sleep apnea (mild, moderate, or severe OSA) for our non-obese snoring patients was 76%. Univariate logistic analyses showed that higher BMI, male gender and retropalatal Müller grades were significantly associated with OSA severity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified male gender and retropalatal Müller grade as risk factors for OSA in non-obese snoring patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physical examination may be useful for studying the upper airway in non-obese snoring patients. Flexible nasopharyngoscopy with Müller maneuver appears to be useful for evaluating the severity of OSA in non-obese patients. Retropalatal Müller grade is highly related to both the presence and severity of OSA, particularly in males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital Bei-Hu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Ju
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ching-Yin
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Hung-Huey
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Hung-Meng
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Pei-Lin
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ching-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007828:Laryngoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*