Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Sleep Apnea Raises Risk of Heart Disease


This may be no news to some of you but severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) raises "the risk of heart failure for middle-aged and older men--and significantly raises the risk of coronary heart disease in men up to age 70," as reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association referring to a recent Sleep Heart Health Study.

Compared to men who did not have obstructive sleep apnea, men with the most severe OSA were 58% more likely to develop heart failure and men 40-70 years of age with the most severe OSA had a 68% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Obstructive sleep apnea causes the airway to collapse during sleep causing the person to struggle to breathe. When this occurs the person reacts with a burst of adrenaline that increases blood pressure which may in turn contribute to vascular problems.

OSA requires medical attention. Many patients often forget to mention this ailment when speaking to their physicians.

It remains to be seen (through clinical studies) if treating the apnea will improve heart functioning.

For more on sleep apnea, visit 50somethinginfo.com



2 comments:

Diane J Standiford said...

Seems I have heard of more and more of my friends getting sleep apnea. But, doesn't seem to run in my family.

kaney said...

Do you ever awaken during the night to find yourself feeling like you're choking or having a hard time breathing? No, it probably wasn't a nightmare. With these symptoms it's very possible that you have Sleep Apnea which can be a severe sleep disorder.

Phyto B