Surface tension of upper airway lining liquid: role in obstructive sleep apnoea hyponoea syndrome

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征（OSAHS）是指睡眠时喉咙堵塞导致呼吸困难，包括短时间停止呼吸的一种情况。OSAHS对男性和女性都有影响，但它是成年男性中最常见的慢性疾病之一，在45岁以上的男性中占5%。在拟议的研究中，我们将检查喉咙的液体层对睡眠时气道保持开放的能力的影响。特别是，我们将研究在喉咙涂上一种减少粘性的物质是否有助于防止OSAHS患者睡眠时喉咙堵塞的发作。我们还将探讨睡眠时唾液的产生和吞咽在维持喉咙低粘性中的作用，以及这种液体衬里在OSAHS患者中是否异常。这些研究将确定降低喉咙内液体的粘性作为治疗OSAHS的潜在有用性。

The obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) refers to a condition in which throat blockage occurs during sleep leading to breathing difficulties, including cessation of breathing for short periods of time. OSAHS affects both men and women but is amongst the commonest of chronic disorders of adult males, occurring in 5% of men over the age of 45 years. In the proposed studies we will examine the effect that the liquid layer that lines the throat, has on the ability of the airway to stay open during sleep. In particular we will examine whether coating the throat with a substance that decreases stickiness will help to prevent the occurrence of episodes of throat blockage during sleep in persons with OSAHS. We will also explore the role of saliva production and swallowing during sleep in maintaining a low stickiness of the throat and whether this liquid lining is abnormal in OSAHS patients. These studies will establish the potential usefulness of decreasing the stickiness of the liquid lining the throat as a treatment for OSAHS.