Pharyngeal Lavage Lymphocytosis in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Observation

Upper airway inflammation has been previously demonstrated in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, investigation has been hampered by the necessity of invasive tissue biopsies.To evaluate the pharyngeal lavage (PHAL) as a new tool to analyze mucosal inflammation in the pharynx of patients with sleep-related disordered breathing.36 patients with a diagnosis of OSA, 14 patients with heavy snorer syndrome (HS) or body position dependent OSA (bd-OSA), and 14 healthy volunteers underwent PHAL. Inflammatory cell counts were compared.Neutrophils were the predominant cells in PHAL in all groups (94.3%±0.7%, 98.5%±0.6%, 94.3%±0.7%, and 96.2%±1.4%). OSA patients had significantly increased numbers of lymphocytes (3.2%±0.4%) compared to bd-OSA/HS and controls group (0.5%±0.1% and 0.6%±0.2%, respectively; P<0.05). Patients with moderate to severe OSA had significantly higher numbers of lymphocytes compared to patients with mild OSA (P