Palatal Sensory Function Worsens in Untreated Snorers but not in CPAP-treated Sleep Apnea Patients, indicating Vibration-induced Nervous Lesions

Abstract Signs of both motor and sensory nervous lesions have previously been shown in the upper airway of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients and habitual snorers. Hypothesis: snoring per se may damage all upper airway neurons over time, thereby causing progression to manifest sleep apnea. To test this, non-snoring subjects, untreated snorers and CPAP-treated patients underwent repeated sensory testing in the soft palate in a prospective long-term study. Methods Cold detection threshold (CDT) testing at soft palate and lip with a thermode and nocturnal respiratory recordings were performed in 2008/2009 with retesting 6 -7 years later. Results In 25 untreated snorers palatal CDT worsened from median 4.2 °C (3,2 – 5,9) to 11.0 °C (7,0 – 17,4) (p Conclusions CDT worsened considerably over time in untreated snorers, significantly more than non-snoring controls and CPAP-patients. Untreated snorers therefore risk developing poor sensitivity in the upper airway. In contrast, efficient treatment of OSA seems to protect the sensory innervation, since the CPAP-treated group maintained their sensitivity to cold, and in some cases, the sensitivity even improved.