OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acoustic characteristics of snoring sound in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHOD: Thirty-one patients with OSAHS were included in this study. Natural overnight snoring was digitally recorded and polysomnography (PSG) was performed simultaneously. Thirty hundred and ten snores which after obstructive apnea and 310 continuous snores which not after obstructive apnea were extracted and peak frequency, maximal frequency, mean frequency,central frequency and power ratio were analyzed. RESULT: The maximal frequency, peak frequency, mean frequency and central frequency of the snores which after obstructive apnea was higher than that of the continuous snores. But 800 Hz power ratio of the snores which after obstructive apnea was lower than those of the continuous snores. The differences of all parameters were of statistical significance (P<0.01 or 0.05). The patients were divided into mild, moderate and severe groups according to AHI, it were seen that in mild patients group peak frequency, central frequency and 800 Hz power ratio were of statistical difference (P<0.01); and in moderate and severe patients groups,in addition to fc, the rest of the index difference was statistically significance except central frequency (P<0.01 or 0.05). CONCLUSION 800 Hz power ratio is a good index for distinguishing the two kind of snores of OSAHS patients. It indicates that it is feasible to study the OSAHS by way of snore monitoring and analyzing technique employed in this study.
Acoustics ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; physiopathology ; Snoring ; physiopathology