Symptoms of Sleep Apnoea
The most common symptoms are:
Loud snoring.
Excessive daytime sleepiness.
Tiredness or fatigue during the day.
Unrefreshing sleep.
Apnoea observed while asleep (episodes of nocturnal asphyxia).
Frequent arousals.
Increased frequency of nighttime urination (nocturia).
Morning headaches.
Bear in mind that excessive daytime sleepiness is hard to measure, both objectively and subjectively, as it is a very common symptom that affects around 20% of the general population. Its severity can be assessed subjectively using different questionnaires. The most used is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. It is very important that the healthcare professional scores the sleepiness based on clinical data.
Signs of Sleep Apnoea
Besides a compatible clinical picture, the signs that should give rise to the suspicion of SAHS are:
- A short, broad neck.
- A disproportionately large tongue compared to the oral cavity (macroglossia).
- Tonsillar or tonsillar pillar hypertrophy.
- Abnormal configuration of the hard (high-arched palate) or soft palate (enlarged and flaccid soft palate, large and swollen uvula, reduced soft palate space, etc.).
- Skeletal alterations or maxillomandibular disproportion (retrognathia or maxillary retrusion) and dental malocclusion.
- Regarding the nasal cavities, it is worth highlighting that the most common findings in patients with SAHS are nasal valve dysfunction, deviated septa, turbinate hypertrophy, sinonasal polyposis and adenoid hypertrophy.
Substantiated information by:
Published: 16 January 2020
Updated: 16 January 2020
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