Risk of Death in Women With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Reduced by CPAP Treatment

The risk for women who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea of dying from heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems may be reduced by treatment with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more prevalent in men, and is less often recognized in women, affecting only up to 3 percent of middle-aged women.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Overview
Obstructive sleep apnea should be suspected in overweight middle aged adults who snore loudly and which can cause interruption of breathing for 10 seconds or more and this results in reduced blood o

Studies have shown an association between OSA and risk for cardiovascular death, but studies have focused mostly or exclusively on men.

A new study looks at 1,116 women who were referred for evaluation of OSA to two sleep medicine clinics between 1998 and 2007.

All of the women had a sleep test to determine the level of their sleep apnea. Women with an apnea-hyponea index, or AHI (measurement of cessation of breathing for more than 10 seconds), of less than 10 were the control group.

Sleep Disorders in Children - Overview, Types, Diagnosis, Management
Sleep disorders are problems in sleep that meet diagnostic criteria for a disorder. They include insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, parasomnias and narcolepsy.

Women with an AHI of 30 or greater (severe OSA) were offered treatment with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

Women with untreated, severe OSA had increased cardiovascular death, but CPAP treatment decreased mortality to a rate that was similar to that among women without OSA.

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders - Types, Causes, Health risks, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis
Circadian rhythm (also known as sleep/wake cycle or the body clock) is a biological process that follows an internal cycle of roughly 24 hours.

Source-ANI