| What
is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?
- Obstructive
Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a potentially life-altering and life-threatening breathing
disorder that occurs during sleep.
- The
upper airway repeatedly collapses, causing cessation of breathing (apnea) or inadequate
breathing (hypopnea) and sleep fragmentation. The breathing stops during sleep
for 10 seconds to a minute or longer.
- Sleep
fragmentation results in chronic daytime sleepiness.
- This
disrupts healthy sleep & causes a no. of short-term and long lasting effects
that theater the health and well-being of those who suffer from the condition.
Prevalence
- 4%
of men and 2% of women aged 30-60 meet minimal diagnostic criteria for OSA with
excessive daytime sleepiness. An even greater number of people have subclinical
apnea/Hypopnea during sleep.
- 50-60%
of patients with impaired cardiac function suffer from sleep related breathing
disorders.
- Nearly
30% of patients with severe heart failure suffer from daytime sleepiness.1
- 80% of drug
resistant hypertension patients suffer from --- form of Sleep Disorder Breathing.
- The majority
of OSA sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated.
Consequences
OSA is left untreated
- Hypertension
- Cardiac
Arrhythmias
- Myocardial
Ischemia
- Myocardial
Infarction
- Stroke
- Motor vehicle
and work-related accidents due to sleepiness
- Decreased
quality of life
- OSA
patients, prior to diagnosis and treatment, consume 2-1/2 times more health care
resources than patients without OSA.
Identification
of OSA (Signs and Symptoms)
- Snoring,
interrupted by pauses in breathing (apnea)
- Excessive
daytime sleepiness
- Gasping
or choking during sleep
- Restless
sleep
- Intellectual
deterioration
- Poor
judgment/concentration
- Memory
loss
- Irritability
- Hypertension
- Nocturnal
angina
- Depression
- Obesity
- Large neck/girth
(>17" in women)
- Oropharyngeal
crowding
- Morning
headaches
- Sexual
dysfunction
- Nocturia
Presence
of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness plus Loud Snoring with pauses/gasping/choking
in sleep is highly suggestive of sleep apnoea. Diagnosis
If a patient's signs and symptoms indicate
sleep apnea, evaluation by a physician specializing in sleep disorders is recommended. A
sleep study provides information about how a patient breathes and sleeps. The
data that is collected will enable the physician to determine the type and severity
of sleep apnea and determine treatment options. Also, information about the physiologic
consequences of the abnormal breathing events is obtained. Intervention
Primary
Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy is the treatment of choice for Obstructive
Sleep Apnea. This therapy includes Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP),
automatic CPAP, and bi-level positive airway pressure. Secondary
Less common treatments include surgery, body position modification, and oral appliances,
which may be effective in certain individuals. Overall
Any intervention should include lifestyle changes such as weight loss (if needed),
good sleep hygiene, and avoidance of alcohol, sedatives and hypnotics. Impact
of PAP Therapy PAP
treats Obstructive Sleep Apnea by providing a gentle flow of positive pressure
air via a mask. The positive pressure air splints the airway open during sleep
to prevent airway collapse. This results in: -
Elimination of snoring and abnormal breathing events
- Absence
of daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- "Improved
quality of life
- Reduction
or elimination of comorbidities, such as hypertension
- Decreased
consumption of health care resources.
Obstructive
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-altering and life-threatening condition
that is:
- Easily
identified
- Effectively
treated
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