Facial profile predicts sleep apnoea

People with a steep jaw line and a narrowed air passage at the back of the throat are at an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). People with OSA suffer frequent, short periods of stopped breathing during sleep. The condition is linked to high blood pressure and other heart conditions. Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver found that OSA is prevalent worldwide but is under-recognized and therefore under-treated. The common denominator in the vast majority of patients with OSA is a narrowed or constricted airway at the back of the throat. Major factors leading to this airway narrowing include obesity, variations in facial bony structure or a combination of both. Craniofacial abnormalities may be a more important factor in some ethnic groups. To see whether the craniofacial profile is predictive of OSA, researchers studied 239 consecutive patients who were referred to sleep clinics in Hong Kong and Vancouver for suspected sleep disordered breathing. The study involved a mixed sample of patients of both sexes including whites and Asians. It was found that a crowded or narrowed air passage at the back of the tongue and soft palate and a steep jaw line were the best predictors of OSA, regardless of the patients' ethnic group or their degree of obesity. Since these abnormalities of the craniofacial profile are easily identified on routine clinical examination, they are a potentially useful tip-off to the possibility of OSA.