A drug called Sultiam may help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe easier at night and sleep better overall. The findings come from a European clinical trial in which the University of Gothenburg played a key role. Researchers say the results raise the possibility of drug treatment for patients who cannot tolerate breathing masks.
The research results are lancet. A total of 298 people with moderate to severe sleep apnea participated in the study. A quarter of the participants received a placebo, and the remaining participants received different doses of sultiame. The study was conducted in four European countries and followed a double-blind design. That is, neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was receiving the active drug.
Research shows that respiratory arrest is significantly reduced
Patients who received high doses of sultiame had up to a 47 percent reduction in breathing interruptions during sleep compared to patients who received a placebo. It also showed that oxygen levels improved overnight.
Sultium appears to work by stabilizing the body’s respiratory control and increasing its motivation to breathe. This reduces the chance of your upper airway collapsing during sleep, which is the main cause of obstructive sleep apnea. Most side effects reported during the trial were mild and temporary.
Jan Hedner, senior professor of respiratory medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, played a leading role in the study.
“We have been working on this treatment strategy for a long time, and our results show that sleep apnea can indeed be influenced pharmacologically. We feel this is a breakthrough achievement. We now look forward to larger, longer-term studies to determine whether the effects persist over time and whether the treatment is safe for a broader group of patients,” says Jan Hedner.
Ludger Grote and Kaj Stenlöf from the University of Gothenburg also made important contributions to the research.
Many patients cannot tolerate CPAP treatment
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. These episodes cause breathing to temporarily stop, oxygen levels to drop, and sleep to be repeatedly interrupted. If sleep apnea is not treated, over time it increases the risk of developing serious health problems such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Sleep apnea is common, but there are currently no medications that directly treat its underlying cause. The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses a mask to keep your airways open while you sleep. Although CPAP is highly effective, many patients find it difficult to use. Up to half of people stop using their devices within a year because masks can be uncomfortable or disrupt sleep.
Sultiam is an existing drug that has been previously approved to treat a type of childhood epilepsy. Researchers are currently studying whether it could also be used as a drug treatment for sleep apnea.
