Posted on 11/09/2005 11:01:10 PM PST by NormsRevenge
BOSTON (Reuters) - The common form of sleep apnea, in which the throat closes off throughout the night, at least doubles the risk of stroke or death, a study released on Wednesday showed.
The researchers at Yale University also raised questions about whether existing apnea treatments reduced that risk, the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed.
A separate Canadian study also published in the journal concluded that breathing machines used to treat a form of apnea common in people with heart failure do not prevent death or the need for a heart transplant.
About 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep is disrupted by sleep apnea, forcing them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second. Another 16 percent of Americans have apnea without fatigue.
A seven-year study, led by Klar Yaggi of the Yale University School of Medicine, found that people with apnea were twice as likely to die or have a stroke. The risk more than tripled among volunteers with the worst apnea.
The study involving 1,022 people also showed that the risk persisted even with treatment to keep the throat open during sleep, mostly through a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Other study volunteers lost weight or had surgery to ease their symptoms.
REDUCING CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
The results of the study notwithstanding, the machines are still worth it for people with apnea that produces excessive fatigue, Yaggi said.
"We're really treating you to improve how you feel. Walking around exhausted is a just a horrible quality of life," he said.
"But also we now are realizing that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, for high blood pressure, for heart disease, and also for stroke, and we believe and hope that treating you will help to reduce your cardiovascular risk, much like we would treat your cholesterol or your blood pressure or your diabetes."
The Canadian study evaluated 258 people with central sleep apnea, where fluid in the lungs caused by heart failure makes sleepers hyperventilate, which temporarily prevents the accumulation of enough carbon dioxide to trigger the breathing reflex. In short, people forget to breathe.
About one third of the 5 million Americans with heart failure also have central sleep apnea.
Douglas Bradley of the University of Toronto and his colleagues said they were surprised to find that heart failure patients with apnea who used CPAP machines were just as likely to die or receive a heart transplant as those who went untreated.
In fact, in the early part of the study, people breathing through CPAP machines seemed to fare worse.
Bradley told Reuters that heart failure patients are given the machines to drive water out of the lungs and reduce the work of breathing. They also may help the heart beat more effectively.
Although using the machines during the 5-1/2-year study did not help patients live longer, they did improve the efficiency of the heart and let patients exercise more.
"As long as it didn't cause any harm, those are the kinds of things we look to do when we treat patients with heart failure with other kinds of therapy," said Bradley.
Not to make light of this topic.. It is a very serious condition.
Does every heavy snorer have this?
I'm still up.
You're telling me, I have OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and it sucks. I don't have one of those nifty CPAPs because they're expensive and my insurance won't cover it because it's not 'medical necessity.' I don't get the extreme fatigue of some sufferers, but I need to sleep anywhere from 12-14 hours to get away from the fatigue. Unfortunately outside of college, there aren't many jobs that allow you to sleep that much and get away with it.
No. Im not sure of exact numbers but while not uncommon,, I seem to recall something like 1 in 5 or so is at risk tho.
I'll see if I can find better numbers than a shot off the hip. If not tonight, tomorrow.
http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/index.html
as many as 12 millions in the US alone..
excerpt from bove link
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
Actually, people without apnea are just as likely to die. In fact, that's just about 100% for everybody.
Seriesly, though, I have sleep apnea, and I use a CPAP machine. Have had one for over seven years now. It does help my breathing, it cuts out my snoring, and I'm not as tired during the day. It's not a complete fix, and it's still a bit cumbersome to use, but I'm better off with it than without it.
On that note, appropriately, I'm off to bed.
It wakes me up once a night. I have to gasp once for breath. It's the pits.
I'm off to bed.
So am I.. actually Im already in bed with a laptop.
My wife and family are all heavy snorers, but none have apnea.. thanl goodness. she says I snore too. I tell her, prove it. ;-)
G'
Nite
all my brothers snored, my dad too, so I am sure I do.. but my cats tolerate me anyway,
PS some of my cats snore too.
G'
Nite
"at least doubles the risk of stroke or death"
So there is a better than 200% chance that I will die? I want my money back.
Work for the State of California. When they try to fire you (assuming they even try) sue under ADA.
It is a very serious condition.
Tell me. I use a CPAP machine
My Ins. covered my CPAP. That is a med necessity
and you need to push the issue.
My pulmonary doc is the chief of sleep disorder of a
major hospital here.
Your doc needs to document this with your ins.
No, but a high percentage of serious snorers do.
I don't snore much at all, and had sleep apnea. We have a fair idea that it lead to the death of my father and grandfather, who died in his sleep. Both were monumental snorers while I am not.
I use a CPAP to breath at night. I swore I would never use one, but I sleep so well now that I won't go to bed without putting it on. I think the device has saved me and given me some of the best sleep that I've had in year.
Seriously, if you know someone and suspect they have this, they need a sleep test.
Hey there, fellow sufferer. Can you try to rent one? That's what my insurance does. It's better to rent it because they are sensitive devices and renting is like having a permanent warranty. Check it out and Freepmail me.
The problem is that you have to get it preset by your doctor. Following that I can recommend a unit and mask.
It will change your life.
these units are only $800-1200. It's definitely worth pursuing. I'll help with research. Let me know.
WAY better than my old one! I can turn over and it stays on!
My insurance covered surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. I had to get a representative for the HMO to help them see the light.
I had chronically swollen tonsils and so I told them, it would be money well spent to fix the rest while they were in there. I managed to avoid the CPAP. I had a uvulectomy, tonsils removed, excess tissue in the throat removed and they fixed a deviated septum.
Best money that I've never spent in my life. Knowing what I do now, I'd pay for it out of my own pocket.
It does have mixed results in the success rate. Mine improved my sleep and life dramatically. An end to bruised ribs from my wife elbowing me in the ribs to get me to start breathing again.
If you have apnea, get it treated. You'll have more energy when you get good sleep.
Sleep apnea is a potentially deadly disease. Unfortunately, what the NEJM article about the use of CPAP in heart failure really said was that it was totally useless and doesn't work for these people. The truth is that a significant number of apnea sufferers do not have obstructive sleep apnea but rather a different, more dangerous condition called complex sleep apnea. The problem is that CPAP is of little or no use in treating that form of the disease. Little wonder that more than half of all people who get a CPAP stop using it within weeks. Here is a link to something about complex apnea. I know, I have it myself and CPAP only made me worse. Now I sleep with a new kind of machine and I sleep great.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16217173&query_hl=1
Snoring is an indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
It does not mean that if you snore, even heavily, that you have OSA. However, virtually all OSA sufferers snore to some extent.
Pulse Oximetery devices are considered less than reliable for detection of OSA. They also have had a more difficult time with dark skinned people.
Bottom line: If you snore, you should be screened for OSA.
Hi Nipplemancer,
How do you know you have OSA? Did you go to a sleep lab?
There is more than one kind of SA though the current treatments are about the same.
My Wife not only snores but, makes wheezing noises that drive me insane. She's lucky to be alive, apnea or not.
Wow - didn't realize there were so many apnea sufferers here.
I am married to one who uses a CPAP and it saved our marriage - I used to sleep down the hall with a pillow over my head and I could STILL hear him snore.
We call it the sleep-happy machine.
If you live in a large city, start calling folks who are having "estate sales". My guess is you could pick up one cheap and have it renovated and cleaned. It's an outrage that a $19 machine would be sold for thousands of dollars. People understand unions ruined industry, but few understand how the AMA (the world strongest Union) ruined medical care. It's an outrage.
I had the same surgery, but my main problem was an unusually large uvula. Post op was fun, wasn't it?
It seemed to completely cure my apnea, though I do still snore if I have any kind of congestion. I don't think my ENT quite got my septum right.
That said, I would gladly go through the surgery again tomorrow. It really changed my life.
You'll need a perscription, and perhaps a sleep test before that, but buy your machine online and save about 80%. After 6 years, I just replaced my first machine. I shopped medical outlets here in Amarillo, saw my same machine for $1400, found the exact same machine online for $360.
The name of the outfit was CPCP Plus Direct, with which I have no affiliation.
They didn't get all the crooks during Watergate, you know...
Whoa!!! *BAD* advice ... on your side is the best way to keep your airway open. If I could always sleep on my side, I might not need my CPAP machine. This is common.
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