Novel Measurements of Cough and Breathing Abnormalities during Sleep in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

This Doctor of Philosophy thesis describes cystic fibrosis (CF), sleep parameters and novel measurement techniques to determine the effect of lung disease on sleep using non-invasive techniques. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is characterised by lungs that are normal at birth, but as lung disease progresses with age, adults with CF can develop sleep abnormalities including alteration in sleep architecture and sleep disordered breathing. This thesis seeks to investigate simple non-invasive measures which can detect abnormalities of sleep and breathing in CF adults. The identification of respiratory sounds (normal lung sounds, coughs, crackles, wheezes and snores) will be examined using the non-invasive sleep and breathing measurement device, the Sonomat. The characterisation of these respiratory sounds will be based on spectrographic and audio analysis of the Sonomat. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of adults with CF using polysomnography and the Sonomat will further assess objective sleep and breathing abnormalities. Additional to the examination of objective measurements of sleep, subjective evaluation using CF-specific and sleep-specific questionnaires will assess subjective sleep quality and QoL in adults with CF.