Gender differences in the expression of XXXX : role of upper airway dimensions.

@entity1 @entity387 @entity28 @entity27 @entity25
STUDY OBJECTIVES: @entity27 ( @entity27 ) is a common disorder that is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway narrowing and collapse. Obesity is a major risk factor for @entity27 . Compared with @entity1 , @entity1 have greater total body fat and are more @entity28 , and yet the prevalence of @entity27 is much higher in @entity1 . The airway size and compliance and pharyngeal muscle tone are important determinants of upper airway patency during sleep. The discrepancy between greater frequency of @entity28 and lower prevalence of @entity27 in @entity1 has not been explained and suggests a different pathogenetic mechanism underlying this condition. Most clinical studies in @entity27 have either combined the sexes or have described results from @entity1 only. The object of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the effect of @entity28 on pharyngeal size in both @entity1 and @entity1 , and (2) to determine the role of upper airway dimensions in the expression of @entity387 ( @entity387 ) and its relationship to gender. DESIGN: Prospective study of subjects referred for evaluation of @entity387 . SETTING: University-based sleep center. SUBJECTS: Seventy-eight male @entity1 (mean +/- SE age, 49.2 +/- 1.5 years) and 52 female @entity1 (mean age, 47.4 +/- 1.5 years). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: All subjects underwent in-laboratory polysomnography with measurement of upper airway size using the acoustic reflectance method. Although the two groups were similar in age, the female @entity1 were slightly heavier than the male @entity1 (body mass index [BMI], 36.0 +/- 1.7 kg/m(2) vs 33.3 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2), respectively; p < 0.0001). Despite similar clinical presentation of snoring and excessive @entity25 , @entity1 had mild @entity27 (respiratory disturbance index [RDI], 9.2 +/- 2.7 events per hour) or @entity27 compared with @entity1 with more severe @entity27 (RDI, 28.0 +/- 3.5 events per hour; p < 0.0001). In contrast, @entity1 had a significantly smaller oropharyngeal junction and pharynx than @entity1 (p < 0.02). Upper airway size correlated significantly with the severity of @entity387 in @entity1 only. There was no correlation between BMI and pharyngeal size in either gender. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the static properties of upper airway in awake @entity1 but not @entity1 correlate with the severity of @entity387 . This suggests inherent structural and functional differences in upper airway during sleep between @entity1 and @entity1 with more favorable airway mechanics in @entity1 .
