OROPHARYNGEAL FATTY INFILTRATION IN OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA PATIENTS - A HISTOLOGIC-STUDY

It has been suggested that due to fatty infiltration, obstructive slee p apnea (OSA) patients have a narrower pharyngeal airway than normal p ersons. To identify potential fatty infiltration of pharyngeal tissues that may contribute to OSA, a histologic study of the distal soft pal ate was performed. Histologic sections of 46 oropharyngeal specimens w ere evaluated. This included 25 overweight OSA patients (25/31), 6 nor mal-weight OSA patients (6/31), and a control group of 15 healthy (non -OSA) individuals. A semiquantitative analysis of the fatty tissue was performed. In all 31 OSA patients an excess of fatty infiltration was found in the histologic oropharyngeal specimens in comparison to the control group. No correlation was found between the pharyngeal fatty i nfiltration degree, the body mass index, and the apnea index. Irrespec tive of their body weight, in none of the patients without OSA was exc essive fatty infiltration seen. It is suggested that excessive pharyng eal fatty infiltration plays a role in upper airway obstruction in OSA and that it can be associated with the development of apnea.