Fiz J A, Abad J, Jané R, Riera M, Mañanas M A, Caminal P, Rodenstein D, Morera J
Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.
Eur Respir J. 1996 Nov;9(11):2365-70. doi: 10.1183/09031936.96.09112365.
Snoring, a symptom which may indicate the presence of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSA), is also common in the general population. Recent studies have suggested that the acoustic characteristics of snoring sound may differ between simple snorers and OSA patients. We have studied a small number of patients with simple snoring and OSA, analysing the acoustic characteristics of the snoring sound. Seventeen male patients, 10 with OSA (apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) 26.2 events x h(-1)) and seven simple snorers (AHI 3.8 events x h(-1)), were studied. Full night polysomnography was performed and the snoring sound power spectrum was analysed. Spectral analysis of snoring sound showed the existence of two different patterns. The first pattern was characterized by the presence of a fundamental frequency and several harmonics. The second pattern was characterized by a low frequency peak with the sound energy scattered on a narrower band of frequencies, but without clearly identified harmonics. The seven simple snorers and two of the 10 patients with OSA (AIH 13 and 14 events x h(-1), respectively) showed the first pattern. The rest of the OSA patients showed the second pattern. The peak frequency of snoring was significantly lower in OSA patients, with all but one OSA patient and only one simple snorer showing a peak frequency below 150 Hz. A significant negative correlation was found between AHI and peak and mean frequencies of the snoring power spectrum (p<0.0016 and p<0.0089, respectively). In conclusion, this study demonstrates significant differences in the sound power spectrum of snoring sound between subjects with simple snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea patients.
打鼾是一种可能提示存在阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征（OSA）的症状，在普通人群中也很常见。最近的研究表明，单纯打鼾者和OSA患者的鼾声声学特征可能有所不同。我们研究了一小部分单纯打鼾和OSA患者，分析了鼾声的声学特征。研究对象为17名男性患者，其中10名患有OSA（呼吸暂停/低通气指数（AHI）为26.2次/小时），7名是单纯打鼾者（AHI为3.8次/小时）。进行了整夜多导睡眠监测，并分析了鼾声功率谱。鼾声的频谱分析显示存在两种不同模式。第一种模式的特征是存在基频和几个谐波。第二种模式的特征是有一个低频峰值，声能分散在较窄的频率带上，但没有明确识别出谐波。7名单纯打鼾者和10名OSA患者中的2名（AHI分别为13次/小时和14次/小时）表现出第一种模式。其余的OSA患者表现出第二种模式。OSA患者的鼾声峰值频率显著更低，除1名OSA患者外，所有OSA患者和仅1名单纯打鼾者的峰值频率低于150 Hz。发现AHI与鼾声功率谱的峰值和平均频率之间存在显著负相关（分别为p<0.0016和p<0.0089）。总之，本研究表明单纯打鼾者和阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停患者的鼾声功率谱存在显著差异。
