Sleep related breathing disorders in adults with Down syndrome.

Background: While the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome among children with Down syndrome is reported to vary from 30 to 50%, the nocturnal respiratory patterns of adults with Down syndrome is not well known.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate sleep-related breathing disorders in a sample of adults with Down syndrome.

Methods: We studied the nocturnal respiratory patterns of 6 adults with Down syndrome, aged 28-53 years.

Hypercapnia in overlap syndrome: possible determinant factors.

We retrospectively evaluated data from 213 consecutive patients; 152 were affected by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 29 had OSA associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as overlap syndrome, and 32 had COPD. Patients with obesity-hypoventilation syndrome were not included. The aims of the study were to evaluate the anthropometric, pulmonary, and polysomnographic characteristics of patients affected by overlap syndrome compared to "simple" OSA and to COPD subjects and to analyze the determinants of hypercapnia in overlap syndrome.