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Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Overview
Obstructive Sleep Apnea was called the 'Pickwickian syndrome' in the past because Joe, the fat boy, described in 'The Pickwick Papers' by Charles Dickens, had typical features such as snoring, obesity, sleepiness and dropsy. |
Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA) is a sleep- related breathing disorder in which there is repeated obstruction to the upper airway, while the person is sleeping.
'Apnea', which means 'without breath' in Greek , causes its victims to repeatedly stop breathing during their sleep, often for 10 seconds or more and sometimes even for a minute or longer. These episodes of breathing interruptions are dangerous and lead to a drop in the oxygen saturation in the blood. The obstructive episode frequency can be as high as 30 times an hour. Sleep apnea can be caused by either complete obstruction of the airway (obstructive apnea) or partial obstruction (Obstructive Hypopnea), both of which can wake a person from sleep to facilitate breathing.
A drop in the oxygen saturation can harm both the heart and the brain and can be dangerous to a person's health. The process of obstruction can lead to poor quality of sleep, waking up in the night and increased sleepiness during daytime and at work. This impacts the quality of life negatively. Besides this snoring can keep the partner awake.
Latest Publications and Research on Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Nasal Positive Airway Pressure and Sleep Apnea: Reflections on an Experimental Method that Became a Therapy. - Published by PubMedErickson solution-focused coaching for weight management in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: ECOHEALTH pilot study. - Published by PubMed
The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Sleep Disordered Breathing Parameters From Overnight Polysomnography and Home Sleep Apnea Test. - Published by PubMed
Hypoventilation disproportionate to OSAS severity in children with Prader-Willi syndrome. - Published by PubMed
Estimation of the Young's moduli of fresh human oropharyngeal soft tissues using indentation testing. - Published by PubMed
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See this recent publication that indicates that obstructive Sleep Apnea - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that OSA is independently related to the risk of CAD or death from any cause. In this observational cohort study, patients referred for OSA underwent polysomnography, and subsequent CAD events (myocardial infarction, coronary angiography or bypass graft surgery) or death were recorded. Patients were divided into exposure (AHI 15) and comparison groups (AHI Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Death, Shah NA et al New Haven, CT