[Guest]

Hi I am first year medical student and would be interested to know the mechanism by which systemic hpyertension is brought about as a result of OSA and why often in such patients we see a congested oropharynx. Is snoring a normal physiolgical manifestation seen in normal subjects or is it only seen in a pathological state such as an obstructed upper airway. Could you please elaborate on the mechanism of snoring. Thank you for your help!

[Guest]

I could write a book on this and still not cover all the details involved. I will give you a brief summary. Obstructive sleep apnea is when the airway closes off or partially closes off during sleep. This leads to increase resistance to airflow and swings in the intrathoracic pressure. Eventually the body responses to the airflow obstruction and the brain wakes up or the obstruction is release by muscle stimulation. This is thought to be associated with changes in sympathetic tone----thus leading to hypertension. Patients with osa have higher levels of VMA in their urine samples. Additionally, the crowed oropharynx can be the cause of osa or a result from snoring. A long uvula or soft palate may lead to obstruction of airflow when sleeping. And snoring( air vibrating in the airway, not a normal but a common condition) can cause the uvula to grow.
[quote] Hi I am first year medical student and would be interested to know the mechanism by which systemic hpyertension is brought about as a result of OSA and why often in such patients we see a congested oropharynx. Is snoring a normal physiolgical manifestation seen in normal subjects or is it only seen in a pathological state such as an obstructed upper airway... [/quote]