RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It was reported that external nasal dilators (ENDs) can reduce snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in white people by dilating the nasal valve area and then, improving nasal breathing. However, there are no available data on Asians, whose geometry of nasal cavities is different from that of white people. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of ENDs on snoring and OSA in Korean adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve simple snorers (3 female and 9 males, aged 19 to 44 years) and 35 OSA patients (35 males, aged 22 to 65 years) without nasal diseases were included in this study. Polysomnography including measurement of snoring intensity was performed at two separate nights, one with and the other without an END. Averaged maximum snoring intensity, apnea index (AI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), ratio of deep sleep (stage 3 and 4) to total sleep time, and minimum arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) with and without an END were measured and compared. RESULTS: Snoring intensity was reduced in 6 (50.0%) of 12 simple snorers and 16 (45.7%) of 35 OSA patients. In overall, snoring improved significantly in both groups. In OSA patients, AI and RDI improved significantly, but ratio of deep sleep time and minimum SaO2 did not. There were no significant correlations between change of snoring intensity and change of AI or RDI in OSA patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ENDs are helpful to improvement of snoring and respiration during sleep, but the sleep stages remain almost unchanged by ENDs in Korean adults with snoring and/or OSA.