Effect of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Inspiratory muscle training: Description of a typical session: Session duration: between 12 and 20 minutes 3 cycles of 30 repetitions with 1 minute of break between each cycle. The patient should inhale as hard as possible against an inspiratory resistance generated by a valve device.

Study summary

Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome is a sleep-related respiratory disorder characterized by partial or total interruptions in breathing during sleep. The majority of syndromes involve an obstructive mechanism (OSA), caused by a reduction in the caliber of the upper airway (UA), most often associated with hypotonia of the surrounding muscles, preventing air from entering the UA during inspiration. The clinical consequences of this syndrome are excessive fatigue and daytime sleepiness, which have a negative impact on the quality of life of patients.

Despite the positive results on apnea-hypopnea index and daytime sleepiness of continuous positive airway pressure (today's reference treatment), its 3-year compliance rate (i.e 59.9% according to a study by Abdelghani et al points to the need to develop other associated therapies.

Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of physiotherapy, such as physical activity and oro-pharyngeal muscle strengthening, notably on the apnea-hypopnea index and daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth scale.

Few studies have investigated the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT), even though the use of the inspiratory musculature (i.e. the diaphragm) is a means of supplementing the peri-pharyngeal muscles, as it helps to maintain the permeability of the upper airways. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) could therefore be considered as part of the physiotherapeutic management of the OSA. The heterogeneity of current results concerning IMT in OSA , but above all the lack of evidence that it is dangerous, means that new clinical studies could be carried out in an attempt to demonstrate its efficacy. Our research hypothesis is therefore as follows: Implementing an inspiratory muscle strengthening protocol in patients suffering from OSA can reduce daytime sleepiness.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in Daytime sleepiness — 12 weeks
  Change in daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale following the introduction of IMT combined with CPAP Epworth Sleepiness Scale ranged from 0 (it is unlikely that you are abnormally sleepy) to 24 (you are excessively sleepy and should consider seeking medical attention).

Trial sites (1)

More Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans trials in France