SLEEP-APNEA AND AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION - A CARDIOPRESSOR AND PUPILLOMETRIC STUDY

Isolated alterations in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have been d escribed in obstructive sleep-apnoea syndrome (OSAS), but the exact na ture and degree of ANS involvement in OSAS is as yet uncharted. In the present study we evaluated some autonomic nervous functions in 13 OSA S patients using cardiopressor and pupillometric tests. Almost all sho wed only slight alterations of ANS function, generally in the form of a hypofunction of both sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. Pupil lometry was more sensitive than cardiovascular indexes in detecting ne urovegetative involvement which correlated with some respiratory indic es. The data suggest that autonomic involvement in OSAS is ascribable to metabolic changes (hypoxia, hypercapnia) rather than to primary ''n eurogenic'' alterations.