title: Oropharyngeal examination as a predictor of obstructive sleep apnea: pilot study of gag reflex and palatal reflex.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has high prevalence and may cause serious comorbidities. The aim of this trial was to show if simple noninvasive methods such as gag reflex and palatal reflex are prospective multivariate assessments of predictor variables for OSA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluate gag reflex and palatal reflex, of fifty-five adult patients, and their subsequent overnight polysomnography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one participants presented obstructive sleep apnea. The most relevant findings in our study were: [1] absence of gag reflex on patients with severe obstructive apnea (p=0.001); [2] absence of palatal reflex on moderate obstructive apnea patients (p=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gag reflex and palatal reflex, a simple noninvasive test regularly performed in a systematic neurological examination can disclose the impact of the local neurogenic injury associated to snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
authors: UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. juspelta@hotmail.com
authors: Juliana Spelta
authors: JS
authors: Valbuza
authors: Márcio Moysés
authors: MM
authors: de Oliveira
authors: Cristiane Fiquene
authors: CF
authors: Conti
authors: Lucila Bizari F
authors: LB
authors: Prado
authors: Luciane B C
authors: LB
authors: Carvalho
authors: Gilmar Fernandes
authors: GF
authors: do Prado
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005683:Gagging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017286:Polysomnography; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology