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Friday, November 6th, 2009

Sleep Apnea and Related Medical Complications – So What is The Importance of Right Diagnosis?

Sleep apnea is a fairly common sleep disorder that affects both men and women. During the course of a night’s sleep breathing may be interrupted many times, with the process actually halting for a few seconds during each “attack”. For sleep apnea patients this means night after night of disrupted rest and daytime lethargy. Medical research into the problem has indicated that sleep apnea may lead to a number of other medical conditions, including stroke and even death so it is important that medical treatment is administered.

But although the symptoms of the chronic disorder seem fairly clear cut it is possible for patients (and even their doctors) to mistake the symptoms of other diseases as sleep apnea.

Nocturnal asthma is one condition that is often confused with sleep apnea, especially since in many cases the two actually exist together in the body of the patient. Even on a standard sleep study it can be difficult for physicians to tell the difference between sleep apnea and nocturnal asthma but since medical professionals feel that the use of a C-Pap machine during sleep can be beneficial for either condition an initial misdiagnosis may not be too much of a problem for the patient.

Hypothyroidism, a condition also known as underactive thyroid also causes interrupted sleep that some may misinterpret as sleep apnea. While we are sleeping we of course remember nothing and upon being woken unexpectedly many people have no idea what caused the event. Hypothyrodism can lead to many other medical problems but can be easily diagnosed by means of simple blood testing.

Something as simple as an allergy to materials used in the bed linen that a person sleeps on can cause symptoms that initially resemble sleep apnea, and in some cases so can the intake of too much caffeine before retiring.

If you believe you are suffering from sleep apnea it is important to consult with a doctor to determine if indeed this is the case, or if some other health problem is present. Sleep studies are often the most effective diagnostic tool . A patient may have to undergo a number of these tests before a definitive diagnosis is made though, especially if they do not experience symptoms every night of the week.

Once doctors have established the real cause of a patient’s nocturnal difficulties an effective treatment plan can be implemented, whether they suffer from sleep apnea or another condition with some similar symptoms.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 9:13 am and is filed under Sleep Apnea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Responses to “Sleep Apnea and Related Medical Complications – So What is The Importance of Right Diagnosis?”

Rebecca Mozingo Says:
November 6th, 2009 at 12:01 pm

Can sleep apnea be cure. Can some kind of medication casue sleep apnea.
If so and they are taked off this medication that casue the person to have sleep apnea will go away. Please apply to my question by and answer. Rebecca

Matthew S. Says:
November 6th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

Rebecca-

Sleep apnea by in large is a natural process where the soft palate tissue collapses in the upper airway for short periods of time to collapse the airway partially or completely disrupting breathing and cause short periods of oxygen deprevation to the essential organs (brain, heart, etc). There are different types of sleep apnea. The most common and the most “naturally occurring” is obstructive sleep apnea caused by these tissues and is anatomical in origin. In some cases very powerful medications such as methadone can cause what is called central sleep apnea. In central sleep apnea the central nervous system does not tell the body to breath for short periods of time. So obstructive sleep apnea, the body is trying to breath but there is a obstruction in the airway that prevents it, i.e. soft palate tissue. In central sleep apnea the brain is not generating normal breathing patterns due to a medication like methadone, or a possible disease process.

There are treatments for sleep apnea but not neccessarily “cures”. CPAP or BiPAP therapy is the gold standard treatment. There are oral appliances and surgeries also available if a patient is intolerant to CPAP. Across the board, the most successful and the easiest for a physician to follow care of a patient would be the use of CPAP therapy.

Hope that helps clear up some confusion. I’ve been in the field of Sleep Medicine for quite a few years and get these questions all the time.

erin Says:
November 6th, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Rebecca,

Sleep apnea can be treated and, in many cases, cured. For most cases, this involves the patient using a CPAP machine. The patient wears a mask, attached to a small unit, that regulates their air pressure. However, the cure that works at any given time may have to be adjusted over time — pressure increased or decreased, different type of mask given, and so on. Patients must work to first get a clear diagnosis, which — as the article states — includes consulting with their physician and submitting to two or more overnight sleep studies given by a registered polysomnographic technologist. Then, they must continue to follow up with the physician to make sure that the pressure and equipment is still best serving their specific diagnosis.

No, no kinds of medication would cause sleep apnea. Sleep apnea happens when someone’s breathing ceases during the night. No medication that you take would cause this to happen. Commonly, apnea results when a patient is overweight, as the airways cannot fight against the pressure of the person’s weight. Apnea can also result is a person simply has too much soft tissue in their airway; when the soft tissue relaxes, the airway is blocked. Other conditions that are concurrent with apnea include heart conditions and lung and respiratory disease. As the article implies, sleep apnea often occurs in conjunction with other diseases, so a correct diagnosis is extremely important.

John Says:
November 6th, 2009 at 8:30 pm

As a long time sufferer of obstructive sleep apnea, I can tell you it definitely sucks. I was rented a CPAP, and fould the mask on the floor every morning without remembering taking it off. Shortly thereafter, had the surgery. They removed my uvula, adnoids, tonsils and some soft palette material. As long as the scar tissue was there, (about 8 to 10 months) I was golden. After that period, the symptoms gradually returned. This was years ago. Recently, I aquired another CPAP. Now, I have a hard time sleeping with it. But at least now, I remember being waking up and removing the mask in order to go back to sleep, which I guess is an improvement over ripping it off in my sleep, but still no success with it. I am still fighting this disease. As a subnote.. the surgery has meant never again having a sore throat. I can tell when I get one, but it’s a dull, deep pain like a bruise, not a scratchy surface rub pain. The surgery was worth it just for that alone!

Shirley M. Says:
November 7th, 2009 at 3:33 am

Have had my apnea machine for over 5 years. It took about a month to get used to the mask. Doing well and have no problems. Perhaps a different size mask would help the gentleman who keeps taking it off during sleep.

Karen Says:
November 7th, 2009 at 3:52 am

I believe i have sleep apnea to the extreme… I snore so load.. and wake up with a sore throat and my heart is racing… my BP is around 105/60 with 95 to 105 BPM. I wake with head aches and the weight has jumped on and to boot it all my hair is falling out.. I have a head of hair most would die for … but when i turned 40 it is coming out like crazy( stopps the shower at least once a week.It is hard for me to get to sleep but when i do it is down for about 4 hrs a night… it has been this way for several months and went to the Dr. oh its just menopause? well 41 sucksif that is the case.. I just think it is more than that… any ideas??

Rick Says:
November 7th, 2009 at 5:48 am

Another common cause of disordered sleep, especially in the obese population that results in daytime sleepiness is GERD or acid reflux. A therapeutic trial of over the counter prilosec 20mg twice daily for one week is a much more cost effective first step than either a $3000 sleep study or a uvulaplasty procedure. 20-30% of the population has significant GERD. If the Prilosec (omeprazole)gives you better sleep then tell your doctor you want an endoscopy to rule out any pre-malignant changes or ulcerations in the esophagus.

Patricia Says:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:20 am

My insurance readily will pay for CPAP, but not an oral appliance. Why is that?

eileen Says:
November 7th, 2009 at 8:22 am

i have sleep apnea and i tried all those masks. i couldn’t go to sleep with them on. the air was escaping around the masks and was very loud. i thought that was the way it was supposed to be. then i tried the nasel pillows. they fit right up to my nostrils and i can sleep very good with them. i can’t even tell when the air is blowing unless i pull them away from my nose because i can’t feel the air or hear it.i hope this helps you

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