Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Muscle fiber area distribution of musculus uvulae in obstructive sleep apnea and non-apneic snorers

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 410–415 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether differences exist in the morphology of upper airway muscles between apneic and non-apneic snorers

DESIGN: Muscle characteristic analysis in patients undergoing upper airway surgery in a tertiary sleep center.

SUBJECTS: 10 non-apneic snorers and 10 sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS).

MEASUREMENTS: Frequency distribution of musculus uvulae (MU) muscle fiber area determined from 475±207 (mean±s.d.) and 697±165 type IIA fibers and 92±32 and 68±45 type I fibers in snorers and SAHS, respectively.

RESULTS: Histochemical analyses of MU revealed as expected that type IIA fibers occupied a significantly larger area within that muscle in SAHS compared to Snorers (89.4±5.8% and 76.1±15.1% respectively, P=0.01). No difference was found in the frequency distribution of type I and type IIA fiber areas between the two groups comparing the between-groups and within-group variance of individual area distributions found in snorers and SAHS.

CONCLUSION: There is no difference in muscle fiber area frequency distribution between non-apneic snorers and SAHS patients. This suggests that musculus uvulae of these groups of patients does not have a specific prevalence of atrophic or hypertrophic muscle fibers.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S . The occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing among middle-aged adults New Engl J Med 1993 328: 1230–1235.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. He J, Kryger MH, Zorick FJ, Conway W, Roth T . Mortality and apnea index in obstructive sleep apnea. Experience in 385 male patients Chest 1988 94: 9–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Strohl KP, Redline S . Recognition of obstructive sleep apnea Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996 154: 279–89.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Flemons WW, Reimer M . Development of a disease-specific health-related quality of life questionnaire for sleep apnea Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998 158: 194–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Leiter JC . Analysis of pharyngeal resistance and genioglossal EMG activity using a model of orifice flow J Appl Physiol 1992 73: 576–583.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Horner R, Mohiaddin RH, Lowell DG, Shea SA, Burman ED, Longmore DB, Guz A . Sites and sizes of fat deposits around the pharynx in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea and weigh matched controls Eur Respir J 1989 2: 613–622.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Koenig JS, Thach BT . Effects of mass loading on the upper airway J Appl Physiol 1988 64: 2294–2299.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Fletcher EC . Recurrence of sleep apnea syndrome following tracheotomy. A shift from obstructive to central apnea Chest 1989 96: 205–209.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Oliven A, Odeh M, Gavriely N . Effects of hypercapnia on upper airway resistance and collapsibility in anesthetized dogs Respir Physiol 1989 75: 29–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Remmers JE, De Groot WJ, Sauerland EK, Anch AM . Pathogenesis of upper airway occlusion during sleep J Appl Physiol 1978 44: 931–938.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Smirne S, Iannaccone S, Ferini-Strambi L, Comola M, Colombo E, Nemni R . Muscle fiber type and habitual snoring Lancet 1991 337: 397–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sériès F, Côté C, Simoneau JA, Gélinas Y, St Pierre S, Leclere J, Ferland R, Marc I . Physiologic and metabolic profile of musculus uvulae in sleep apnea syndrome and in snorers. J Clin Invest 1995 95: 20–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Sériès F, Simoneau JA, St Pierre S, Marc I . Genioglossus and musculus uvulae muscle characteristics in sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and in snorers Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996 153: 1870–1874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Andersen P, Henricksson J . Training induced changes in the subgroups of human type II skeletal muscle fibers Acta Physiol Scand 1977 99: 123–125.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gonyea WJ, Sake DG, Goneya FB, and Milesky A . Exercise induced increases in muscle fiber number Eur J Appl Physiol 12986 55: 137–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Friberg D, Ansved T, Borg K, Carlsson-Nordlander B, Larsson H, Svanborg E . Histological indications of a progressive snorers disease in an upper airway muscle Am J Crit Care Med 1998 157: 586–593.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Woodson BT, Garancis JC, Toohill RJ . Histopathologic changes in snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome Laryngoscope 1991 101: 1318–1322.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. McKully KK, Faulkner JA . Characteristics of lengthening contractions associated with injury to skeletal muscles fibers J Appl Physiol 1986 61: 293–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Rechtschaffen A, Kales A (eds) . A manual of standardized terminology and scoring system for sleep stages of human subjects. Brain Information Service/Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles: Los Angeles, CA 1968.

  20. Chadha TS, Watson H, Birch S, Jenouri GA, Schneider AW, Cohn MA, Sackner MA . Validation of respiratory inductive plethysmography using different calibration procedures Am Rev Respir Dis 1982 125: 644–649.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sériès F, Marc I . Effects of protriptyline on snoring characteristics Chest 1993 104: 14–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. American Sleep Disorders Association . EEG arousals: scoring rules and examples Sleep 1992 15: 174–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gould GA, Whyto KF, Rhind GB, Airlie MAA, Catterall IR, Shapiro CM, Douglas N . The sleep hypopnea syndrome Am Rev Respir Dis 1988 137: 895–898.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Zar JH (ed) . Kolgorov Smirnov for continuous data In Biostatistical analysis 2nd edn: Prentice-Hall; England Cliffs NJ 1984 55–58.

  25. Sériès F, Côté C, Simoneau JA, St Pierre S, Marc I . Upper airway collapsibility, and contractile and metabolic characteristics of musculus uvulae FASEB J 1996 10: 897–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sandsted PL, Nordell LE, Henriksson kg . Quantitative analysis of muscle biopsies from volunteers and patients with neuromuscular disorders Acta Neurol Scand 1982 66: 130–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Morris CJ, Raybould JA . Fiber type grouping and end-plate diameter in human skeletal muscle J Neurol Sci 1971 13: 181–187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Carpentier S, Karpati G . Pathology of skeletal muscle. Churchill Livingstone: New York 1984 63–147.

  29. Edwards RIIT, Jones DA . Diseases of skeletal muscle. In Peachy LD, Adrian RH, Gieger SR (eds) Handbook of Physiology Chap 20: American Physiology Society: Bethesda, MD 1983 633–672.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Petrol BJ, Pack AI, Kelly AM, Eby J, Hendricks JC . Pharyngeal myopathy of loaded upper airway in dogs with sleep apnea J Appl Physiol 1994 76: 1746–1752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Schotland HM, Insko E, Panekeri KA, Leigh JS, Pack AI, Hendricks JC . Quantitative magnetic resonance of upper airway musculature in an animal model of sleep apnea. J Appl Physiol 1996 81: 1339–1346.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Dr JA Simoneau passed away on 27 August, 1999. The authors want to take this opportunity to testify their sincere and profound admiration to Jean-Aimé for his contribution to our outstanding collaboration, for his enthusiasm and unique dynamic approach to physiological problems as well as for his strongly positive attitude facing serious health difficulties. The authors also thank Dr Joanisse for his help in completing the revision of the manuscript. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, grant MT 13768.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de recherche, Centre de pneumologie de l'hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    F Sériès

  2. Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    J-A Simoneau

  3. Department ORL, Hôpital Laval, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    S St Pierre

Authors
  1. F Sériès
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J-A Simoneau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S St Pierre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F Sériès.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sériès, F., Simoneau, JA. & St Pierre, S. Muscle fiber area distribution of musculus uvulae in obstructive sleep apnea and non-apneic snorers. Int J Obes 24, 410–415 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801172

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801172

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links