Two studies have come out recently that confirm the facts that people with sleep apnea are more at risk to die from cardiovascular death if left untreated. Obstructive sleep apnea can indeed be deadly.
In the August 1 issue of the journal Sleep, one of the studies was specific to a group of 1,522 adults that were tested for sleep apnea in an overnight sleep study. They were then followed up over a period of 18 years.
The results were astounding.
19 percent of the adults with severe sleep apnea died over the course of the study. Compare that with only 4 percent of people who died that had no sleep apnea. Approximately 42 percent of the deaths of those with the severe sleep apnea were directly related to heart disease or stroke.
“People with untreated, severe sleep apnea had four times the risk of all-cause mortality, and five times the risk of cardiovascular death,” said lead author Terry Young, PhD. Ms. Young is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
My goal here at Apnea-Treatment.com is to alert my readers, and perhaps those who think that they may have just a loud annoying snoring problem that it could be something that can cost you your life. These new studies are conclusive.
Young points out in her research that the repeated pauses in breathing causes a “compound stress.” Blood pressure rises drastically. Irregular heart rhythms occur. Oxygen levels drop. Restorative sleep (REM) sleep is disturbed and apnea patients never get the rest they need. These pauses in breathing can happen 30 times per hour (or more) all night long. This stress takes a severe toll on the body.
Young also estimates that “10 percent of the adult population has a significant problem with sleep apnea.” She also fears that the rising rate of obesity adds more patients at risk for sleep apnea since obesity is a key risk factor.
As pointed out in previous posts, when a person has sleep apnea and is obese, they wake up tired, have no energy and can barely stay awake all day. These patients have a hard time modifying their behavior to lose weight because they are too tired to exercise. It becomes a circuitous loop of frustration. The studies that show how not getting restorative sleep affects the metabolism and putting people into a “pre-diabetic” state is also documented.
Another study done by Nathaniel Marshall, PhD, at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney Australia found similar results. His research with 380 adults over a 14 year period brings him to this conclusion: “Or findings along with those from the Wisconsin Cohort, remove any reasonable doubt that sleep apnea is a fatal disease.”
The adults in Marshall’s study were tested with a portable home-monitoring device for one night. 33 percent of the study subjects with moderate to severe sleep apnea died during the follow-up period. Only 7.7 percent of those studied that did not have sleep apnea died. Those with sleep apnea had six times the risk for death.
Both researchers point out that treatment is imperative and that the risk of death does not go down with time. Though they discuss the effectiveness of CPAP as a potential treatment option, they do not mention anything about the cause of sleep apnea and other effective treatments for those who may not be able to tolerate a CPAP machine.
As a Doctor that treats Sleep Apnea and Snoring disorders in my clinics throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, I see patients every day that know that this treatment is saving their lives. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic it is important to see that these research studies confirm the fact that if you have sleep apnea, and leave it untreated, your risk of dying is 19-33 percent higher than those who don’t. Please don’t put off making an appointment with someone that can help you. You can call me directly at 888-31-SNORE. Dr. Jonathan Greenburg