There is evidence that hypopneas are more common than apneas in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) related to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We investigated the frequency distribution of hypopneas in 100 patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) (mean age 69 yrs ± 7.8; 70% males), including 54 IPF cases, screened for OSA by home sleep testing. Fifty age- and sex-matched pure OSA patients were included as controls. In ILD-OSA patients the sleep breathing pattern was characterized by a high prevalence of hypopneas that were preceded by hyperpnea events configuring a sort of periodic pattern. This finding, we arbitrarily defined hyperpnea-hypopnea periodic breathing (HHPB), was likely reflecting a central event and was completely absent in control OSA. Also, the HHPB was highly responsive to oxygen but not to the continuous positive pressure support. Thirty-three ILD-OSA patients (42%) with a HHPB associated with a hypopnea/apnea ratio ≥3 had the best response to oxygen with a median residual AHI of 2.6 (1.8-5.6) vs. 28.3 (20.7-37.8) at baseline (p < 0.0001). ILD-OSA patients with these characteristics were similarly distributed in IPF (54.5%) and no-IPF cases (45.5%), the most of them being affected by moderate-severe OSA (p = 0.027). Future studies addressing the pathogenesis and therapy management of the HHPB should be encouraged in ILD-OSA patients.
Keywords: hyperpnea; hypopnea; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; interstitial lung disease; obstructive sleep apnea; oxygen.