KOLKATA, Feb 8: Sleep apnea is a disease where the upper airway gets collapsed periodically during sleep.
This ultimately leads to a lack of oxygen in vital organs of the body, according to Dr Angshuman Mukherjee, Consultant – Department of Respiratory Medicine, Fortis Hospital Anandapur.
He explains snoring- bed partners are very much important in determining this sort of symptoms. Excess daytime sleepiness- patients may fall asleep at unusual places like reading newspapers, watching TV, driving etc.
Minor but significant symptoms are – Loss of memory, Not feeling refreshed when getting up in morning ie. waking up with a heavy head or a bad headache, Weight gain, Resilient Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, etc and Social Isolation, Dr Mukherjee said.
He said the causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea are still unknown. However, patients with obesity, short and thick neck, smokers and alcohol consumers are prone to sleep apnea.
Alcohol, Hectic and Stressful Lifestyle and Smoking are the risk factors involved, Dr Mukherjee said.
He said Sleep Apnea is considered a serious medical condition. The complications are: Possibility of increase in Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar concerns, Patients who are already Hypertensive, Diabetic etc may feel that their disease is not well controlled with the current medication, Forgetfulness/ Memory Loss, Accidents because of sleeping during driving and Social isolation due to sleep in an unusual situation.
Dr Mukherjee said if left untreated, It can result in Resistant Hypertension, Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality, Increased chances of Brain Stroke and Social Out-casting and problems in married life.
Enlist the treatments: Positive airway pressure treatment in the form of CPAP- a device which helps the upper airway to remain open during sleep Lifestyle modification including weight loss, improved sleep hygieneAvoiding Smoking and Alcohol consumption esp before sleeping ENT Surgical Procedure, though it is not so effective mandibular Advancement Device is also not much of significance
According to Dr Mukherjee, some important facts and figures for Sleep Apnea: Men are more prone to OSA as compared to women. Some studies state the ratio as 2:1 while some claim it is as high as 8:1.
Females above the age of 50 i.e. Menopausal or post-menopausal women are at higher risk of OSA.
Male with a collar size of 42cm or above and women with a collar size of 40cm and above are at greater risk of OSA.
People with BMI >30 are at high risk of OSA while those with BMI between 25-30 are at significant risk of OSA. 93 pc of Indians are snorers but only 2 pc visit doctors for advice.
OSA is an independent risk factor for hypertension.
(UNI)
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