Sleep Apnea (cont.)
Why is it important to treat obstructive sleep apnea?
When a person with OSA considers all the options for
treatment, he or she may be tempted to not choose any of them. The masks and
dental appliances have to be worn every night. The surgeries are painful and
have no guarantee that they will be successful. When considering the
consequences of all the treatments, however, it is important to remember that
there are consequences of not receiving treatment. It is estimated that only 10%
of patients with obstructive sleep apnea are being treated. Some of the
remaining 90% know that they have a problem, but they choose not to pursue
treatment. People with obstructive sleep apnea may have a right to accept the
risks to their health that refusing treatment poses; however, when they drive, they put
everyone else at risk as well. People who refuse treatment for their obstructive
sleep apnea should
be reported to the DMV, which often will suspend their driver's licenses.
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea also increases the risk of:
- heart attacks,
- strokes,
- high blood pressure,
- decreased productivity at work,
- decreased attentiveness at home, and
- sudden death.
If you think that you or someone you know may have OSA,
please discuss the symptoms with your doctor as soon as possible.
- Sleep apnea is defined as a reduction or cessation of
breathing during sleep.
- The three types of sleep apnea are central apnea,
obstructive apnea, and a mixture of central and obstructive apnea.
- Central sleep apnea is caused by a failure of the
brain to activate the muscles of breathing during sleep.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the collapse of
the airway during sleep.
- The complications of obstructive sleep apnea include
high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, automobile accidents, and daytime
sleepiness as well as difficulty concentrating, thinking and remembering.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed and evaluated by
history, physical examination and polysomnography.
- The non-surgical treatments for obstructive sleep
apnea include behavior therapy, medications, dental appliances, continuous
positive airway pressure, bi-level positive airway pressure, and
auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure.
- The surgical treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include nasal surgery,
palate implants, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, tongue reduction surgery,
genioglossus advancement, maxillo-mandibular advancement, tracheostomy, and
bariatric surgery.
References: Becker HF, Jerrentrup A, Ploch T, Grote L, Penzel T, Sullivan CE, Peter JH.
Circulation; 2003 Jan 7;107(1):68-73. Farre R, Montserrat JM, Rigau J, Trepat X, Pinto P, Navajas
D. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 2002 Aug
15;166(4):469-73. Gami AS, Howard DE, Olson EJ, Somers VK. New England
Journal of Medicine; 2005 Mar 24;352(12):1206-14. George CF, Kab V, Kab P, Villa JJ, Levy AM.
Sleep Medicine; 2003 Jul;4(4):317-25. Hack MA, Choi SJ, Vijayapalan P, Davies RJ, Stradling
JR. Respiratory Medicine; 2001 Jul;95(7):594-601. Haraldsson PO, Carenfelt C, Lysdahl M, Tingvall
C. Laryngoscope; 1995
Jun;105(6):657-61. Hudgel DW. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical
Medicine; 1995 Jul;126(1):13-8. Kanagala R, Murali NS, Friedman PA, Ammash NM, Gersh BJ, Ballman KV,
Shamsuzzaman AS, Somers VK. Circulation; 2003 May 27;107(20):2589-94. Kiely JL, Nolan P, McNicholas WT.
Thorax; 2004
Jan;59(1):50-5. Logan AG, Perlikowski SM, Mente A, Tisler A, Tkacova R, Niroumand M, Leung
RS, Bradley TD. Journal of Hypertension; 2001 Dec;19(12):2271-7. Malhotra A, Pillar G, Fogel RB, Edwards JK, Ayas N, Akahoshi T, Hess D, White
DP. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 2002 Jan 1;165(1):71-7. Marti S, Sampol G, Munoz X, Torres F, Roca A, Lloberes P, Sagales T, Quesada
P, Morell F. European Respiratory Journal; 2002 Dec;20(6):1511-8. Patel SR, White DP, Malhotra A, Stanchina ML, Ayas NT.
Archives of Internal Medicine; 2003 Mar
10;163(5):565-71. Peppard PE, Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J. JAMA 2000 Dec
20;284(23):3015-21. Peppard PE, Young T, Palta M, Skatrud J. New England Journal
of Medicine; 2000 May
11;342(19):1378-84. Prinsell JR. Journal of
American Dental Association; 2002 Nov;133(11):1489-97. Schafer H, Koehler U, Ewig S, Hasper E, Tasci S, Luderitz B.
Cardiology;
1999;92(2):79-84. Scheuller M, Weider D. Otolaryngology
Head Neck
Surgery; 2001 Oct;125(4):299-302. Shahar E, Whitney CW, Redline S, Lee ET, Newman AB, Javier Nieto F, O'Connor
GT, Boland LL, Schwartz JE, Samet JM. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 2001 Jan;163(1):19-25. Tishler PV, Larkin EK, Schluchter MD, Redline S.
JAMA; 2003 May
7;289(17):2230-7. Udwadia ZF, Doshi AV, Lonkar SG, Singh CI. American Journal
of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 2004 Jan 15;169(2):168-73. Young T, Finn L, Austin D, Peterson A.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; 2003
May 1;167(9):1181-5. Young T, Palta M, Dempsey J, Skatrud J, Weber S, Badr S. New England Journal
of Medicine; 1993 Apr
29;328(17):1230-5.
Last Editorial Review: 9/20/2005
- Tonsillectomy - Learn about the tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy surgery. Information on what to expect prior to surgery, during surgery, and recovery time from surgery.
- Pulmonary Hypertension - Learn about the causes of pulmonary hypertension like heart disease, lung disease, blood clots, artery constriction, and other diseases and conditions. There are two types of pulmonary hypertension, primary and secondary.
- Somnoplasty -
Latest Medical News
Specialty RSS
