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Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Cause of snoring in pregnancy uncovered
By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T.
Breakthroughs
“Laugh and the world laughs with you,” wrote Anthony Burgess in Inside Mr. Enderby, “snore and you sleep alone.”
While snoring in pregnancy is an obvious problem for the partner, and may cause tension within the couple, none has been known on what causes it—until recently.
A prospective study, led by Neil Douglas, found snoring as caused by a narrowing of the upper airways during pregnancy.
The study involved 100 women who were at least six months pregnant, and 100 control women of the same age range (between 18 and 41 years old).
The results, published in the February 2006 issue of the European Respiratory Journal, show that women in the last trimester of pregnancy are more than twice (41 percent) as likely to snore as their nonpregnant counterparts (17 percent). The percentage of snorers among pregnant participants also rises from 12 percent before pregnancy to 41 percent during the third trimester. The phenomenon, however, becomes irreversible as the proportion falls back only to 18 percent three months after delivery, instead of the original 12 percent before pregnancy.
Also, compared to nonsnoring participants, snorers have significantly higher weight and body mass index (+4 kg and +2 kg per sq m body size on average) before pregnancy. Snorers have a greater neck circumference, on average, of one centimeter more than those of nonsnorers. Using an original soundwave method, the upper airways were found to be narrower during pregnancy than after, leading to increase in systolic blood pressure. This indicates the increased risk of pregnancy snorers to arterial hypertension (pre-eclampsia).
“This narrowing is caused by a physical phenomenon connected to increased weight and distention of the abdomen in pregnancy,” explains Douglas. “Fat can infiltrate the pharyngeal muscles or be deposited in the soft tissue of the neck and around the upper airways, which can increase neck size and narrow the airways.”
The miracle of pregnancy still remains a phenomenon to wonder about. “The baby bounced gently off the wall of her uterus,” wrote Roddy Doyle in her novel The Snapper. “She opened her dressing gown and put her hands back on her belly. It moved again like a dolphin going through the water; that was the way she imagined it. ‘Are yeh normal?’ She said.” (For comments and suggestions, email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com or text to 0927-979-3519.)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 14, 2006 issue)
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