Apnea, Obstructive

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by repetitive partial and/or total closure of the upper airway during sleep, inducing oxygen desaturation and sleep disturbance. Its prevalence in the pediatric population is 1-5%. In children, OSA can have negative consequences on the cardiovascular system and on the neurocognitive development. It is essential to diagnose OSA and to treat it efficiently. The OSA-18 questionnaire assesses the symptômes of OSA in children and its repercussions. It is composed of 18 items scored on a Likert scale by caregivers. This system allows a more sensitive scoring than binary answers available in other questionnaires like the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. The OSA-18 questionnaire would thus be an interesting tool to use for evaluating treatment efficacy in interventional studies and in clinical practice. This questionnaire is not yet available in French. The main objective of this study is thus to evaluate the validity of a French version compared to the gold standard method to evaluate OSA: polysomnography.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with hyperaldosteronism with elevated plasma aldosterone/renin ratio, the physiopathological mechanism of which remains uncertain. This hyperaldosteronism contributes to the development of arterial hypertension and cardiovascular complications observed in patients with OSA, in particular by increasing arterial stiffness and heart rate variability. The frequent association of OSA with obesity with metabolic syndrome suggests that excess weight could be responsible for stimulation of aldosterone secretion independent of the renin/angiotensin system. Several studies indicate in particular that the production of mineralocorticoids by the adrenals could be activated by various adipocyte secretion products such as leptin and certain fatty acids after oxidation in the liver. In addition, a recent study showed that basal aldosterone secretion is also controlled by substance P released within the adrenal tissue itself by nerve fibers belonging to the splanchnic contingent. Thus, the oral administration of aprepitant, an antagonist of the substance P receptor (NK1 receptor), to healthy volunteers induces a reduction of approximately 30% in the overall secretion of aldosterone assessed by measuring aldosteronemia and 24-hour aldosteronuria. To the extent that OSA causes sympathetic hypertonia, the hypothesis is that the associated hyperaldosteronism could result from activation of the nervous control of aldosterone secretion, involving substance P and the NK1 receptor. If this is indeed the case, the administration of aprepitant to patients with OSA should result in a significant reduction in aldosteronemia.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is commonly treated with CPAP devices, but adherence rates are low. Exercise has been shown to strengthen respiratory muscles, improve upper airway function, and enhance sleep quality. However, most studies have examined only single or dual exercise protocols, and there is little evidence regarding integrated programs with four exercise types or their effects when performed directly before sleep. This project aims to develop and evaluate ApneaTheraPlay (ATP), a digital gamified video-based exercise platform combining respiratory, aerobic, strengthening, and oropharyngeal exercises. The randomized controlled, double-blind study will allocate participants into three groups: ATP, a structured pre-sleep exercise group (SPEG), and a control group (CG). Intervention groups will exercise three times per week for 12 weeks, while the control group will only keep a physical activity diary.

The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is high, with an apnea-hypopnea index of over 15 per hour found in 49.7% of men and 23.4% of women in the general population (1). The gold standard treatment for sleep-disordered breathing is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy (2). However, nearly 30% of patients are considered non-adherent to CPAP treatment (3). Moreover, the number of hours of CPAP usage has been shown to be directly associated with a reduction in objective and subjective sleepiness, and improvement in daytime functioning (4). A recent prospective study conducted in a French clinical population cohort of 5138 participants found an effect of CPAP treatment duration on reducing the risk of developing a major cardiovascular event (stroke, myocardial infarction, all-cause mortality) (5). Therefore, the poor adherence to CPAP treatment represents a public health challenge for healthcare professionals managing these patients. Several predictors for non-adherence can be identified, such as using CPAP for less than 4 hours per night during the initial treatment phase, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or low self-esteem (6). Measures aimed at promoting patient adaptation from the initiation of treatment are crucial as this period determines long-term adherence to CPAP therapy (7). Among these measures, there is the management of "physical" adverse effects such as xerostomia (using a humidifier), feeling too much or too little air (modifying CPAP pressure profiles), skin problems, and mask air leaks (interface adjustment), which are well-known and applied by health care organization providing the CPAP machines (2). On top of these "technical" problems, patients related issues such as mask-induced anxiety, psychosocial conditions, and dysfunctional thoughts about CPAP treatment may prevent patients from using their CPAP properly. Innovative tools such as psycho corporal therapies, including medical hypnosis, could be used in these situations. A recent literature review focusing on the impact of medical hypnosis on sleep disorders in adult patients found an improvement in various sleep parameters (sleep quality, insomnia complaints, frequency and/or intensity of parasomnias) in 58.4% of patients. However, in this systematic review of 24 studies, none of them explored the use of medical hypnosis in sleep-related breathing disorders (8). Hypnosis can be defined as an altered state of consciousness in which a person's attention is detached from their immediate environment and absorbed in inner experiences such as feelings, cognition, and imagery (9). Hypnotic induction involves focusing attention and imaginative involvement to the point where what is imagined seems real. By using and accepting suggestions, the clinician and the patient create a benevolent hypnotic reality with the goal of improving the patient's clinical situation (10). In the literature, there is only one clinical case report describing a benefit of medical hypnosis for CPAP tolerance in a child with cherubism (a rare fibro-osseous genetic disease-causing nasal obstruction). In this case, CPAP therapy using an oral interface was fully accepted after three hypnosis sessions and corrected the obstructive sleep breathing disorder (11). In a slightly different domain, there is a case report of successful use of medical hypnosis as an adjunct therapy for weaning from mechanical ventilation (12). Our hypothesis is that the use of medical hypnosis in CPAP-treated patients could improve the patient's perception of the treatment, making it more positive. Medical hypnosis could occur very early in the management process, with rapid learning of self-hypnosis to actively influence this crucial period for long term adherence of CPAP. The principal objective is therefore to evaluate the effects of medical hypnosis on adherence to CPAP therapy in patients with sleep-disordered breathing.

The goal of this randomised, controlled cross-over study is to compare two mandibular repositioning devices (MRA) already on the market in the treatment of mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Patiënt will test the first MRA for 3 months, after a wash out period of 2 weeks they will test the second MRA for 3 months. It will be randomised what type of MRA will be tested first and second.