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Is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome a risk factor for auditory pathway?

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Abstract

Purpose

The transduction mechanism of the inner ear and the transmission of nerve impulses along the auditory way are highly dependent upon the cochlear oxygen supply. Several studies have considered the possibility that obstructive sleep apnea–hypopneas during sleep can interfere with these processes, and the results are not uniform. The aim of the study is to evaluate the auditory function in adult patients affected by severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Methods

Thirty-nine patients in this study were included and divided in OSAS group, with severe OSAS (Apnea–Hypopnea Index, AHI > 30), and control group with snoring without OSAS (AHI < 5). Each patient was subjected to pure-tone audiogram (PTA), otoacoustic emission (OAE), and brainstem auditory evoked potentials.

Results

The OSAS group showed a PTA significantly higher than the control group (14.23 ± 6.25 vs. 7.45 ± 2.54; p < 0.01), a lower TEOAE reproducibility (0.57 ± 0.10 vs. 0.92 ± 0.10; p < 0.01) such as a lower signal-to-noise 0atio (p < 0,01) and a lower DPOAE amplitude (5.96 ± 6.34; 13.18 ± 2.97; p < 0.01). The mean latencies of waves I, III, and V were prolonged in OSAS group as compared to the healthy people, especially for wave V (p < 0.05). The interpeak latency (IPL) of I–V was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the OSAS patients (5.84 ± 0.15) as compared to the control group (5.4 ± 0.12), such as IPLs I–III and III–V (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our data showed an auditory dysfunction in patients affected by severe OSAS, suggesting that severe OSAS could represent a risk factor for auditory pathway.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Area of Otolaryngology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy

    Manuele Casale, Emanuela Vesperini, Massimiliano Potena, Marco Pappacena, Federica Bressi & Fabrizio Salvinelli

  2. Departamento de Otorrinolaringología, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

    Peter Jarden Baptista

Authors
  1. Manuele Casale
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  2. Emanuela Vesperini
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  3. Massimiliano Potena
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  4. Marco Pappacena
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  5. Federica Bressi
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  6. Peter Jarden Baptista
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  7. Fabrizio Salvinelli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuele Casale.

Appendix

Appendix

Definition of abbreviations used in the text

OSAS:

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

ODI:

Oxygen desaturation index

SAT. O2:

Mean oxygen saturation

AHI:

Apnea/hypopnea index

BMI:

Body mass index [kg/m2]

PSG:

Polysomnography

PTA:

Pure-tone audiometry

OAE:

Otoacoustic emission

ABR:

Auditory brainstem response

BAEP:

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials

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Casale, M., Vesperini, E., Potena, M. et al. Is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome a risk factor for auditory pathway?. Sleep Breath 16, 413–417 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-011-0517-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-011-0517-x

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