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Effectiveness of Intranasal Sodium Hyaluronate in Mitigating Adverse Effects of Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy

Background Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in moderate-to-severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea can cause nasal discomfort and other undesirable problems. Objective The aim of our study was to test the effects of sodium hyaluronate on nasal problems that patients experienced in their daily lives, sleepiness, nasal resistance to airflow, nasal mucociliary clearance, changes in inflammatory markers, and compliance to CPAP in three groups of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on CPAP therapy. Methods A total of 102 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] of ≥10/hour) were randomized into three treatment groups: (1) hyaluronate plus CPAP, (2) saline solution plus CPAP, and (3) CPAP-only groups. Outcome measures were the extent of improvement in the Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) mean scores, sleepiness, nasal resistance to airflow, nasal mucociliary clearance, changes in inflammatory markers, and compliance to CPAP. Significant improvement in each outcome measure was determined by comparing scores at baseline and after 4 weeks for each treatment group. Results Significant improvement in the MiniRQLQ overall mean score was observed both in the hyaluronate plus CPAP (p <0.00001) and saline solution plus CPAP groups (p <0.01), although the hyaluronate plus CPAP group had better improvement compared with the saline solution plus CPAP group (0.24 versus 0.12, respectively). An increase in nasal inflammatory markers and saccharin transit test score was observed in all three groups, although it was statistically lower in the hyaluronate plus CPAP group (all p <0.001). Conclusion Intranasal hyaluronate showed significant benefits in patients who received CPAP therapy, but future studies over a longer period of time after treatment should be performed to corroborate our findings.