Premium
Acetazolamide improves loop gain but not the other physiological traits causing obstructive sleep apnoea
Author(s) -
Edwards Bradley A.,
Sands Scott A.,
Eckert Danny J.,
White David P.,
Butler James P.,
Owens Robert L.,
Malhotra Atul,
Wellman Andrew
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.223925
Subject(s) - acetazolamide , medicine , arousal , airway , anesthesia , loop gain , neuroscience , psychology , physics , quantum mechanics , voltage
Key points • Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) probably results from the interaction of key pathophysiological traits including compromised pharyngeal anatomy, inadequate upper‐airway muscle function, high ventilatory response to a change in ventilation (high loop gain), and a low arousal threshold. • Because the standard therapy with positive airway pressure is often poorly tolerated, alternative options have long been sought which have included various pharmacological interventions. • Acetazolamide may be a useful therapeutic tool, yet there have been few studies examining how it affects the traits causing OSA. • Our study demonstrates that acetazolamide reduces loop gain by approximately 40% in individuals with OSA, but has little impact on the remaining OSA traits. • The marked reduction in loop gain with acetazolamide suggests that acetazolamide may be of therapeutic benefit when used alone or in combination with other therapies to treat individuals whose loop gain is known to contribute to OSA.