About the disease
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, also known as OSA, is a condition when a person suddenly stops to breathe for a short period of time during the sleep. This happens because the upper airway becomes blocked, diaphragm and lungs begin to work harder to pull the air in and a person wakes up with a gasp, feeling anxiety. Such periods, when person is unable to breathe, can happen several times through the night and result in not getting enough sleep. OSA can also cause disruptions in the heartbeat, which develops because of lack of oxygen.
This condition can also develop in children, although their condition is usually milder. There can be bedwetting during the night. Child may also have cold sweats at sleep and it may be very difficult to wake him/her up in the morning.
OSA is more predominant in people who suffer from obesity or whose neck is too large. In some cases large tonsils or a large tongue can also cause this condition. Other contributing factors include smoking and chronic high blood pressure.
Overall, OSA is very common in 2% of all female and 4% of male population. Moreover, almost 85% of all people with this condition remain undiagnosed having milder forms of OSA.
Symptoms
- Chronic sleepiness during the daytime
- Irritability
- Morning headaches
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Snoring
- Dry mouth in the morning
- Forgetfulness
- Choking
Diagnosis
- To determine the cause of your sleep troubles, doctor will probably ask you to undergo sleep study. For this test you may either stay in hospital for one night or sleep as usual at home, wearing special monitors. Such monitors will be able to determine if your air flow functions properly during the night, how many times you wake up because of air obstruction, what is your heart rate and which breathing patterns are the most common for you. Your eye movements and levels of oxygen of the body will also be determined by this study.
- Electrocardiogram can be done additionally to determine if the cause of OSA is irregular heartbeat or hypertension.
Treatment
In most cases, you will need to undergo conservative or surgical treatment to normalize your night breathing.
- CPAP machine is recommended, when airway becomes severely obstructed. This is a special device, when you have to wear special mask that enforces normal air flow continuously through the night.
- Surgery is needed if OSA is caused by extra tissue in the nose or airway, which creates air obstruction during the night. It is also a good option for people who have large adenoids. During surgery doctor simply removes xtra tissue or adenoids, restoring the normal air flow.
- Nasal surgery is needed if congenital structure of the nose creates the air obstruction. It is also recommended for people who acquired nose trauma professionally or accidentaly.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Farrukh Ahmed
