Eric J. Olson

Precis: In this retrospective population-based cohort study, patients with open-angle glaucoma were more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea than matched controls from the general population of Olmsted County, Minnesota. Purpose: To investigate the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) compared to the risk of OSA in matched controls from a general population. Patients and Methods: Retrospective population-based case-control study comparing the incidence of OSA with a diagnosis of OAG (cases) to the incidence of OSA in matched patients without OAG (controls) from Olmsted County, Minnesota between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 2018. Patients were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Medical records were reviewed to confirm OAG diagnoses. OSA diagnoses were based on sleep study data and polysomnography parameters. Cumulative probability of OSA was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: This cohort had 7,000 patients: 3,500 case patients with OAG diagnosed at any time point, and 3,500 matched control subjects without OAG, with all OAG and OSA diagnoses manually confirmed. There was no statistically significant difference of OSA frequency prior to index date in cases versus controls ( P =0.52). There were 371 (12.5%) cases who developed OSA after glaucoma diagnosis compared to 297 (10.2%) patients who were diagnosed with OSA after the index date ( P =0.0068). The multivariate hazard ratio for diagnosis of OSA after OAG diagnosis was 1.17 ( P =0.047, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.36). The 10-year absolute risk of OSA after OAG diagnosis was 12.5%, and risk of OSA increased with time. Conclusion: In this population-based study, patients with OAG were more likely to be diagnosed with OSA compared to patients without OAG, suggesting a possible association that may justify increased clinical awareness.

Sleep disorders are common and affect sleep quality and quantity, leading to increased morbidity. Patients with sleep disorders can be categorized as those who cannot sleep, those who will not sleep, those with excessive daytime sleepiness, and those with increased movements during sleep. Insomnia, defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep that results in daytime impairment, is diagnosed using history findings and treated with cognitive behavior therapy, with or without sleep hypnotics. Restless legs syndrome is characterized by an urge to move the legs that worsens with rest, is relieved by movement, and often occurs in the evening or at night. Restless legs syndrome is treated based on the frequency of symptoms. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. It is diagnosed using a sleep log or actigraphy, followed by overnight polysomnography and a multiple sleep latency test. Narcolepsy is treated with stimulants, such as modafinil; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; or gamma hydroxybutyric acid (sodium oxybate). Patients with snoring and witnessed apneas may have obstructive sleep apnea, which is diagnosed using overnight polysomnography. Continuous positive airway pressure is the most common and effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is characterized by increased muscle tone during rapid eye movement sleep, resulting in the patient acting out dreams with possible harmful consequences. It is diagnosed based on history and polysomnography findings, and treated with environmental safety measures and melatonin or clonazepam.

Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is a surgical option for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MMA involves forward-fixing the maxilla and mandible approximately 10 mm via Le Fort I maxillary and sagittal split mandibular osteotomies. We retrospectively reviewed outcomes from 24 consecutive OSA patients who underwent MMA at our institution. MMA resulted in an 83% reduction in the group mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) per polysomnography an average of 6.7 months after surgery. Forty-two percent of patients achieved a post-MMA AHI of less than 5 events/hour sleep and 71% achieved an AHI less than or equal to 10 events/hour sleep. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score decreased by an average of 5 post-surgery. No parameters predictive of cure for OSA by MMA were identified.

Descriptions of nocturnal vocalizations, including catathrenia, are few. We undertook a study at our center on patients diagnosed with catathrenia, to evaluate the characteristic features of these events and their response to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Retrospective study of patients with a diagnosis of catathrenia who had an overnight polysomnogram (PSG) and available synchronized audio video recordings (to confirm the presence of moaning and groaning), at our center between January 2007 and May 2010. Ten patients were included in the analysis. Three (30%) patients presented with the chief complaint of expiratory noises during sleep. The other moaning/groaning sounds were incidental findings noted by the sleep technologist and/or the sleep physician. The number of moaning/groaning events during PSG varied between 2 and 343 per patient with sound duration ranging from 0.4 to 21.4 s. Moaning/groaning events during exhalation (1,026 episodes) were separated into typical catathrenia events (as per the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 2nd edition [ICSD-2] definition) and atypical/nocturnal vocalization events (moaning/groaning events that did not meet the ICSD-2 criteria). Typical catathrenia events (5% or 52/1,026) were experienced by five of the ten patients and had mean exhalation duration of 14.97 ± 5.13 s (range 5.8–24 s) with a mean sound duration of 8.47 ± 5.97 s (range 2–21.4 s). The typical and atypical events occurred predominantly in NREM sleep. Six of the ten patients had associated sleep-disordered breathing and four underwent CPAP titration. All four patients had significantly fewer events of moaning/groaning (mean reduction was 75.8 ± 26.2%) with CPAP. New and unique features were identified in our series of patients diagnosed with catathrenia. Though all events had the characteristic moaning and groaning sound during exhalation, only a small percentage (5%) met the catathrenia definition as outlined in ICSD-2. Do we label the atypical events as part of the spectrum of nocturnal vocalizations or consider them as catathrenia by redefining the criteria? CPAP appeared to be a reasonable treatment option.