Project description:Rationale: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common disabling symptom in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pitolisant, a selective histamine H3 receptor antagonist with wake-promoting effects, for the treatment of daytime sleepiness in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea refusing continuous positive airway pressure treatment.Methods: In an international, multicenter, double-blind, randomized (3:1), placebo-controlled, parallel-design trial, pitolisant was individually titrated at up to 20 mg/d over 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Key secondary endpoints were maintenance of wakefulness assessed on the basis of the Oxford Sleep Resistance test, safety, Clinical Global Impression of severity, patient's global opinion, EuroQol quality-of-life questionnaire, and Pichot fatigue questionnaire.Measurements and Main Results: A total of 268 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (75% male; mean age, 52 yr; apnea-hypopnea index, 49/h; baseline sleepiness score, 15.7) were randomized (200 to pitolisant and 68 to placebo) and analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was reduced more with pitolisant than with placebo (-2.8; 95% confidence interval, -4.0 to -1.5; P < 0.001). Wake maintenance tests were not improved. The Pichot fatigue score was reduced with pitolisant. The overall impact of pitolisant was confirmed by both physicians' and patients' questionnaires. Adverse event incidence, mainly headache, insomnia, nausea, and vertigo, was similar in the pitolisant and placebo groups (29.5% and 25.4%, respectively), with no cardiovascular or other significant safety concerns.Conclusions: Pitolisant significantly reduced self-reported daytime sleepiness and fatigue and improved patient-reported outcomes and physician disease severity assessment in sleepy patients with obstructive sleep apnea refusing or nonadherent to continuous positive airway pressure.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01072968) and EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT 2009-017251-94).
Project description:Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which can negatively affect daily functioning, cognition, mood, and other aspects of well-being. Although EDS can be reduced with primary OSA treatment, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, a significant proportion of patients continue to experience EDS despite receiving optimized therapy for OSA. This article reviews the pathophysiology and clinical evaluation and management of EDS in patients with OSA. The mechanisms underlying EDS in CPAP-treated patients remain unclear. Experimental risk factors include chronic intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which lead to oxidative injury and changes in neurons and brain circuit connectedness involving noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission in wake-promoting regions of the brain. In addition, neuroimaging studies have shown alterations in the brain's white matter and gray matter in patients with OSA and EDS. Clinical management of EDS begins with ruling out other potential causes of EDS and evaluating its severity. Tools to evaluate EDS include objective and self-reported assessments of sleepiness, as well as cognitive assessments. Patients who experience residual EDS despite primary OSA therapy may benefit from wake-promoting pharmacotherapy. Agents that inhibit reuptake of dopamine or of dopamine and norepinephrine (modafinil/armodafinil and solriamfetol, respectively) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing EDS and improving quality of life in patients with OSA. Additional research is needed on the effects of wake-promoting treatments on cognition in these patients and to identify individual or disorder-specific responses.
Project description:PurposeObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is underdiagnosed, partially from variable clinical presentations. Emphasis is often placed on Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), a subjective measure of sleepiness, but variable in OSA. We hypothesized that daytime complaints measured with Language of Sleepiness Questionnaire (LOS) in OSA are not being captured by ESS.MethodsAdults referred to a tertiary sleep clinic undergoing sleep studies completed ESS and LOS questionnaires (20 items with various patient-reported descriptors). LOS was examined in patients who had or did not have OSA without sleepiness based on ESS < 10. Cluster analysis was performed to assess whether or not groups of individuals differed based on classification with or without OSA and with or without ESS-based sleepiness.ResultsApproximately half the study population (n = 185 completed) had OSA. ESS score (mean ± SD) was 9.0 ± 5.4. There was no significant difference in ESS between patients with and without OSA (9.0 ± 5.1 vs 9.1 ± 5.7, p = 0.969). In patients with OSA, females, older patients and white patients were significantly less likely to have an ESS ≥ 10 when compared to patients with an ESS < 10. In patients with an ESS < 10, there were no significant differences in descriptors of sleepiness between patients with and without OSA with the most common descriptors selected being "I lack energy," "I wake up sleepy," "I keep waking up," and "I don't sleep enough."ConclusionsThe ESS failed to discriminate patients with OSA from those without OSA. Despite an ESS < 10, both daytime and sleep complaints using the LOS questionnaire were present in patients with OSA. Asymptomatic OSA may be less common than previously reported.
Project description:Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with metabolic dysregulation and systemic inflammation. This may be due to pathophysiologic effects of OSA on visceral adipose tissue. We sought to assess the transcriptional consequences of OSA on adipocytes by utilizing pathway-focused analyses. Methods: Patients scheduled to undergo ventral hernia repair surgery were recruited to wear a portable home sleep monitor for two nights prior to surgery. Visceral fat biopsies were obtained intra-operatively. RNA was extracted and whole-genome expression profiling was performed. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify curated gene sets that were differentially enriched in OSA subjects. Network analysis was applied to a select set of highly enriched pathways. Results: 10 patients with OSA and 8 control subjects were recruited. There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index between the two groups, but the OSA subjects had a significantly higher respiratory disturbance index (19.2 vs. 0.6, P-value 0.05) and worse hypoxemia (minimum oxygen saturation 79.7% vs. 87.8%, P-value < 0.001). GSEA identified a number of gene sets up-regulated in adipose tissue of OSA patients including the pro-inflammatory NF-M-NM-:B pathway and the proteolytic ubiquitin/proteasome module. A critical metabolic pathway, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), was down-regulated in subjects with OSA. Network analysis linked members of these modules together and identified regulatory hubs. Conclusions: OSA is associated with alterations in visceral fat gene expression. Pathway-based network analysis highlighted perturbations in several key pathways whose coordinated interactions may contribute to the metabolic dysregulation observed in this complex disorder. Total RNA from visceral fat of 18 subjects (10 OSA, 8 Control) was hybridized to 18 Affymetrix Genechip Human Gene 1.0 ST microarrays.
Project description:INTRODUCTION:Sleepiness is the main clinical expression of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome resulting from upper airway collapse. Recent studies have discussed the fact that the presence of T. gondii cysts in the brain and the resulting biochemical and immunological mechanisms could be linked to neurobehavioral disorders. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential impact of chronic toxoplasmosis on sleepiness and on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity in OSA obese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A case control study on obese patients screened for OSA was performed. According to the sleep disorder and matched based on gender, age and body mass index (BMI), two groups of obese patients were selected from our sample collection database. All patients were tested for toxoplasmosis serological status measuring anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM levels. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were performed to assess the impact of chronic toxoplasmosis on sleepiness and OSA severity. RESULTS:107 obese patients suffering from OSA were included in the study (median age: 53.3 years Interquartile range (IQR): [41.9-59.9]; median BMI: 39.4 kg/m2 IQR: [35.5-44.1], apnea-hypopnea index = 27.5 events/h [10.7-49.9]). Chronic toxoplasmosis was present in 63.4% and 70.7% of patients with or without sleepiness (p = 0.48), respectively and was not associated either to sleepiness (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: [0.52; 2.33], p = 0.64) or OSA severity (OR = 1.75, 95% CI: [0.51; 5.98] p = 0.37). CONCLUSION:Although chronic Toxoplasma infection in immunocompetent humans has been associated to several behavioral disorders or pathologies in recent literature, we demonstrate here that chronic toxoplasmosis is not associated to sleepiness and to sleep apnea syndrome severity in obese patients suspected of sleep apnea syndrome.
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess sleepiness, TNF-? plasma levels, and genomic variance in the TNF-? gene in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Study designChildren being evaluated for OSA (n = 60) and matched control children (n = 80) were assessed with a modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire and underwent a blood draw the morning after nocturnal polysomnography. TNF-? plasma concentrations were assayed using ELISA, and genomic DNA was extracted. Genotyping and allelic frequencies were determined for 4 TNF-? single nucleotide polymorphisms using real-time polymerase chain reaction genotyping assays.ResultsMorning TNF-? levels and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were increased in the presence of OSA, but substantial variability was present. Although TNF-? plasma concentrations were globally increased in OSA, most of the variance was attributable to the presence or absence of TNF-? -308G gene polymorphism.ConclusionsTNF-? levels are increased in a subset of children with OSA, particularly among those harboring the TNF-? -308G single nucleotide polymorphism. Among the latter, significant increases in excessive daytime sleepiness symptoms are also present. The relatively high variability of excessive daytime sleepiness in pediatric OSA may be related to underlying TNF-? gene polymorphisms, particularly -308G.
Project description:Hypertension is one of the most common chronic cardiovascular diseases in adults while obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It was recently reported that the mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, measuring subjective daytime sleepiness, was significantly higher in non-hypertensive subjects than the hypertensive counterparts with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. In the current study, the authors investigated the interaction between hypertension and OSA on daytime sleepiness among 280 subjects recruited from a sleep study. OSA was evaluated with the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), and daytime sleepiness was measured with the ESS. Significantly higher mean ESS scores were found for subjects without than those with hypertension (11.3 vs 9.4, P = 0.003) but only a marginally significant difference was discerned for the ESS scores between subjects with AHI ≥15/h and AHI <15/h (P = 0.075). A significant interaction between hypertension and OSA status on daytime sleepiness was observed from the analysis of variance (P = 0.02). The adjusted mean ESS score for the group of normotensive subjects with moderate to severe OSA (13.11) was significantly higher than the other three groups, namely, normotensive subjects with mild OSA (9.35), hypertensive subjects with mild OSA (9.70), and hypertensive subjects with moderate to severe OSA to (9.43). In conclusion, subjective daytime sleepiness of normotensive subjects with moderate to severe OSA was significantly more severe than other subjects.
Project description:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with sleep-stage- and respiratory-event-specific sensorimotor cortico-muscular disconnection. The modulation of phase-amplitude cross-frequency coupling (PACFC) may influence information processing throughout the brain. We investigated whether sleep-stage-specific PACFC is impaired at the sensorimotor areas in OSA patients. C3 and C4 electrode EEG polysomnography recordings of 170 participants were evaluated. Different frequency band combinations were used to compute CFC modulation index (MI) to assess if MI differs between OSA and non-significant OSA patients in distinct sleep stages. We tested if the CFC-MI could predict daytime sleepiness in OSA. Theta-gamma CFC-MI at cortical sensorimotor areas was significantly reduced during all sleep stages; the delta-alpha CFC-MI was significantly reduced during REM and N1 while increasing during N2 in patients with respiratory disturbance index (RDI) > 15/h compared to those with RDI ≤ 15/h. A sleep stage classification using MI values was achieved in both patient groups. Theta-gamma MI during N2 and N3 could predict RDI and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, while delta-alpha MI during REM predicted RDI. This increase in disconnection at the cortical sensorimotor areas with increasing respiratory distress during sleep supports a cortical motor dysfunction in OSA patients. The MI provides an objective marker to quantify subjective sleepiness and respiratory distress in OSA.
Project description:Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with metabolic dysregulation and systemic inflammation. This may be due to pathophysiologic effects of OSA on visceral adipose tissue. We sought to assess the transcriptional consequences of OSA on adipocytes by utilizing pathway-focused analyses. Methods: Patients scheduled to undergo ventral hernia repair surgery were recruited to wear a portable home sleep monitor for two nights prior to surgery. Visceral fat biopsies were obtained intra-operatively. RNA was extracted and whole-genome expression profiling was performed. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify curated gene sets that were differentially enriched in OSA subjects. Network analysis was applied to a select set of highly enriched pathways. Results: 10 patients with OSA and 8 control subjects were recruited. There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index between the two groups, but the OSA subjects had a significantly higher respiratory disturbance index (19.2 vs. 0.6, P-value 0.05) and worse hypoxemia (minimum oxygen saturation 79.7% vs. 87.8%, P-value < 0.001). GSEA identified a number of gene sets up-regulated in adipose tissue of OSA patients including the pro-inflammatory NF-κB pathway and the proteolytic ubiquitin/proteasome module. A critical metabolic pathway, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), was down-regulated in subjects with OSA. Network analysis linked members of these modules together and identified regulatory hubs. Conclusions: OSA is associated with alterations in visceral fat gene expression. Pathway-based network analysis highlighted perturbations in several key pathways whose coordinated interactions may contribute to the metabolic dysregulation observed in this complex disorder.
Project description:STUDY OBJECTIVES:To describe parental reports of sleepiness and sleep duration in children with polysomnography (PSG)-confirmed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) randomized to early adenotonsillectomy (eAT) or watchful waiting with supportive care (WWSC) in the ChildHood Adenotonsillectomy Trial (CHAT). We hypothesized children with OSA would have a larger improvement in sleepiness 6 mo following eAT compared to WWSC. METHODS:Parents of children aged 5.0-9.9 y completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale modified for children (mESS) and the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire-Sleepiness Subscale (PSQ-SS). PSG was performed at baseline and at 7-mo endpoint. Children underwent early adenotonsillectomy or WWSC. RESULTS:The mESS and PSQ-SS classified 24% and 53% of the sample as excessively sleepy, respectively. At baseline, mean mESS score was 7.4 ± 5.0 (SD) and mean PSQ-SS score was 0.44 ± 0.30. Sleepiness scores were higher in African American children; children with shorter sleep duration; older children; and overweight children. At endpoint, mean mESS score decreased by 2.0 ± 4.2 in the eAT group versus 0.3 ± 4.0 in the WWSC group (P < 0.0001); mean PSQ-SS score decreased 0.29 ± 0.40 in eAT versus 0.08 ± 0.40 in the WWSC group (P < 0.0001). Despite higher baseline sleepiness, African American children experienced similar improvement with adenotonsillectomy than other children. Improvement in sleepiness was weakly associated with improved apnea-hypopnea index or oxygen desaturation indices, but not with change in other polysomnographic measures. CONCLUSIONS:Sleepiness assessed by parent report was prevalent; improved more after eAT than after WWSC; and was not strongly predicted by sleep disturbances identified by PSG. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Study for Children with OSA (CHAT). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier #NCT00560859.