title: Correlation between the oropharyngo-laryngoscopic findings and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate anatomical and functional changes of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx to the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study of 66 patients of both genders, aged between 21 and 59 years old with complaints of snoring and / or apnea. All underwent full clinical evaluation, including physical examination, nasolarybgoscopy and polisonography. We classified individuals into groups by the value of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), calculated measures of association and analyzed differences by the Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  all patients with obesity type 2 had OSAS. We found a relationship between the uvula projection during nasoendoscopy and OSAS (OR: 4.9; p-value: 0.008; CI: 1.25-22.9). In addition, there was a major strength of association between the circular shape of the pharynx and the presence of moderate or severe OSAS (OR: 9.4, p-value: 0.002), although the CI was wide (1.80-53.13). The septal deviation and lower turbinate hypertrophy were the most frequent nasal alterations, however unrelated to gravity. Nasal obstruction was four times more common in patients without daytime sleepiness. The other craniofacial anatomical changes were not predictors for the occurrence of OSAS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal disorders participate in the pathophysiology of OSAS. The completion of the endoscopic examination is of great value to the evaluation of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Priscila Sequeira
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: de Araujo-Melo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Denise Duprat
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lucas Neves de Andrade
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lemes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Manuela Salvador
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mosciaro
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Infectologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bedoya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012913:Snoring