Patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and patients who snore but don't have OSA, are at a high risk for upper gastrointestinal tract conditions such as hiatal hernia, according to a small study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Foundation.
Lithuanian researchers reported pathological GI findings in more than 80% of the 42 OSA patients and 13 snoring-only patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy for the study. About 60% of OSA patients and 77% of snoring patients had two or more GI findings, the most common of which was hiatal hernia, found in 64% of OSA subjects. About 45% of OSA patients had grade A erosive esophagitis, 21% had histological esophagitis and another 21% had erosive gastritis.
The severity of patients' OSA did not appear to affect the likelihood of GI tract conditions. Study author Nora Siupsinskiene, MD, of Kaunas University of Medicine says that in light of the findings, "all patients diagnosed with sleep disordered breathing" should consult with a gastroenterologist for diagnostic tests.
Irene Tsikitas
