Sleep-related laryngospasm

Alóe, Flávio; Thorpy, Michael J.

doi:10.1590/s0004-282x1995000100008

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In 1995, ALOE and THORPY [5] published the first case series describing this condition in a peer-reviewed paper. They coined the term "sleep-related laryngospasm" which was adopted by the authors of the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA)'s diagnostic and coding manual [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sleep-related laryngospasm

Thurnheer¹,

Henz²,

Knoblauch³

1997

Eur Respir J

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The term "sleep-related laryngospasm" refers to episodic, abrupt interruption of sleep accompanied by feelings of acute suffocation followed by stridor. The condition is included in the diagnostic and coding manual of the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA), but there are few references in the peerreviewed literature.Our description of the distinct clinical picture associated with this condition is based on an analysis of the histories of a series of 10 patients. The patients and their families gave precise, uniform accounts of the dramatic attacks. Diagnostic work-up included pulmonary and gastroenterological assessment.All patients reported sudden awakening from sleep due to feelings of acute suffocation, accompanied by intense fear. Apnoea lasting 5-45 s was followed by stridor. Breathing returned to normal within minutes. Patients were left exhausted by the attacks. Nine of our 10 patients had evidence of gastro-oesophageal reflux and six responded to antireflux therapy.We conclude that the nocturnal choking attacks (and the occasional daytime attacks experienced by some of the patients) are caused by laryngospasm. The pathogenesis of the apparent underlying laryngeal irritability is unknown. The condition may be related to a gastro-oesophageal reflux. Eur Respir J 1997; 10: 2084-2086 The anaesthesiological, laryngological and pneumological literature contains reports of laryngospasm occurring secondary to procedures involving manipulation of the larynx. However, very little has been published on the subject of spontaneous laryngospasm during sleep and its devastating effects on sleep quality and patients' overall quality of life.In 1987, a patient referred to us for assessment of suspected obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) reported suffering repeated, brief, nocturnal choking attacks. In the years that followed, we encountered several more patients who complained of sleep disturbance due to the same cause. Their distressing experiences all followed the same pattern, and the words and gestures they used to describe the attacks strongly suggested an aetiology involving mechanical obstruction of the upper airway.On the basis of a case series, we describe the clinical characteristics of this by no means rare disorder, for which the designation "sleep-related laryngospasm" is used, and present arguments supporting the conclusion that spontaneous laryngospasm is indeed the triggering factor.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our observations suggest that gastro-oesophageal reflux may play a role. Postnasal drip and minor psychological disturbances may be other factors [5] that contribute to the laryngeal irritability. Treatment aims at relieving underlying causes, if identifiable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep-related laryngospasm

Thurnheer¹,

Henz²,

Knoblauch³

1997

Eur Respir J

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“…(34,35). Finally, patients with elongated uvula and those with history of choking during sleep may also develop laryngospasm under general anesthesia (11,36,37).…”

Section: Patient-related Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laryngospasm: review of different prevention and treatment modalities

Al-Alami

Ayoub

Baraka

2008

Pediatric Anesthesia

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“…Smoker adolescents are also prone to develop laryngospasm [44,45]. Passive smokers and children with hyperactive airway, including asthma, are 10 times more prone to develop laryngospasm [4,14,46] Other risk factors include American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) IV [26 ], ex-premature under 1 year old, whooping cough, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, airway anomaly, gastroesophageal reflux disease [26 , [47][48][49][50], elongated uvula and history of choking during sleep [14,51,52]. Finally, electrolyte disturbance such as low magnesium and calcium blood level may predispose to laryngospasm [53].…”

Section: Patient-related Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%