Abstract:

Objective〓〖WTBZ〗To explore the snoring status of adult people in the Guangzhou area and to explore the relationship between the shape of the oropharynx and snoring. 〖WTHZ〗Methods〓〖WTBZ〗354 persons aged from 20 to 87 years were investigated. 329 persons without other obstructions and tonsil operations and 42 people with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) were observed. The oropharynx was classified into type I, II, III and IV based on the structure-induced stenosis: the tonsil, uvula, lateral pharyngeal band, soft palate and root of the tongue. 〖WTHZ〗Results〓〖WTBZ〗39.8% of persons were habitual snorers; male and female snorers had similar pharyngeal types and
had approximately the same proportion. With an increase of age, patients younger than 60 years showed an increase of snoring, the worse the oropharyngeal stenosis (type Ⅲ, Ⅳ) was, the more the possibility of snoring. No close relationship was found between OSAHS status and pharyngeal stenosis. 〖WTHZ〗Conclusion〓〖WTBZ〗Oropharyngeal stenosis is one of the factors for OSAHS. Oropharyngeal typing can benefit the screening of habitual snorers and OSAHS-oriented people but can not define OSAHS, and it should be combined with polysomnography (PSG) to examine OSAHS.

Key words: obstructive, Oropharynx, Sleep apnea, Stenosis