Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome complicating oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy

We report a 75-year-old Spanish-American woman who received a diagnosis of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy after presenting with ptosis and dysphagia. She also complained of snoring and daytime somnolence, and was found to have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome attributable to her neuromuscular disorder. This is the first report of OSA syndrome complicating typical, adult-onset oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, and should prompt the evaluation of other such patients for sleep-disordered breathing.