01 Jun Could there be a medication to treat obstructive sleep apnoea?

CPAP therapy is currently the gold standard treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).  While it is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that is extremely effective at treating OSA it remains to be a difficult therapy for many users to adhere to.  Putting on a mask every night to go to sleep with can be uncomfortable for some and breathing with the added pressure can be hard for some people to tolerate.

A recent study published in the Journal of Sleep, investigated what the effect of dimethyl fumarate (DFM) has on obstructive sleep apnoea.  DFM is an immunomodulator, in that it affects how the immune system functions essentially suppressing it to reduce inflammation.

The authors found that after 4 mnths of use, there was a significant reduction in the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) from baseline compared to a placebo group.  The authors also identified reductions in intracellular NFkB signalling molecules which may be responsible for mediating the effect on RDI.  Further research on this mechanism may be one step closer to a magic pill for treating OSA.

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsy109/5003425