[Dysphagia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): What is the pathophysiological bridge?]

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of dysphagia among patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring. Swallowing is a complex process requiring fine-tuned neuromuscular coordination. Breathing and swallowing share a common passage in the pharynx. Swallowing process can be divided into an oral, pharyngeal and esophageal phase. When the swallowing reflex starts, hyoid and larynx are pulled up and the glottis covers the entrance to larynx. During swallowing apnea, which is a respiration pause for about 0.5-1.0 seconds, the bolus passes pharyngeal airway. Dysphagia is associated with severe complications such as aspiration and pneumonia. Although the pathophysiology of dysphagia in OSA-patients is not clearly understood, we assume that dysphagia is also a result of sensory and motor changes in the oropharynx caused by snoring vibrations.