RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Relief of sleep apnoea after treatment of acromegaly: report of three cases and review of the literature JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP 1401 OP 1404 DO 10.1183/09031936.97.10061401 VO 10 IS 6 A1 B Buyse A1 E Michiels A1 R Bouillon A1 H Bobbaers A1 M Demedts YR 1997 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/6/1401.abstract AB Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is common in acromegalic patients. Occasionally, the relief of apnoeas after treatment of the acromegaly has been documented. We report the cases of three patients with acromegaly and severe obstructive sleep apnoea, who demonstrated a manifest improvement (respiratory disturbance index (RDI) <20) after treatment with octreotide, indicating that this drug may be effective in this disturbance. In one case, SAS disappeared although the growth hormone level was not fully normalized. This raises the intriguing hypothesis that octreotide has an effect on respiratory control or on the upper airway, that is not directly related to its action on production of growth hormone.