Is sleep apnea a disease or a "condition"
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Warrior II
What is sleep apnea classified as
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cpapsave
Condition or Disease?
Too me it really is trivial if it is classified as a disease or condition. I know I have obstructive sleep apnea and thanks to the person that saved my life, everynight I put on my snorkel mask and sleep like a baby. That is really all that matters. : [/quote]
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Guest
There are very few circumstances where drugs actually cure a disease; certainly antibiotics are one example but more often they just alleviate the symptoms, while oftentimes causing other undesireable side effects. Give me the non-invasive xPAP machine any day with no major undesireable side effects.
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-SWS
Disease, Condition, Disorder
Maybe by definition either terms "disease" or "condition" are correct. With that said I have heard it defined as a "disorder" more than anything else.
"Disease" admittedly sounds so much more serious and even stigmatized than the other two terms...
"Disease" admittedly sounds so much more serious and even stigmatized than the other two terms...
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rested gal
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Words are interesting.
"Disease" sounds so....contagious, or something...which OSA isn't. Genetic components perhaps; but contagious, no. I know there are many non-contagious diseases, of course. I'm just thinking of first thing that jumps to mind with a word. My mind, anyway. lol Would make me think of sleep apnea sufferers needing to wear little white muzzle masks in public places to avoid spreading apnea germs around! As if we don't wear some kind of mask long enough anyway!
"Disorder" - sounds kind of like a mental problem. But when you put "breathing" with it, as in "breathing disorder", that seems to fit OSA pretty well. Although the first thought that would probably jump to mind for "breathing disorder" is asthma. Switch it around a little and add the word "sleep" ... that gets us to "Sleep Disordered Breathing". SDB describes it quite well. But now we're too far away from one word (and from the point of this topic at all.)
"Condition" - has the connotation of something variable; something that can be changed. That works nicely, since the condition of having sleep disordered breathing can be changed each night.
Disorder, Condition - either of those work for me. Disease? nah.
"Disease" sounds so....contagious, or something...which OSA isn't. Genetic components perhaps; but contagious, no. I know there are many non-contagious diseases, of course. I'm just thinking of first thing that jumps to mind with a word. My mind, anyway. lol Would make me think of sleep apnea sufferers needing to wear little white muzzle masks in public places to avoid spreading apnea germs around! As if we don't wear some kind of mask long enough anyway!
"Disorder" - sounds kind of like a mental problem. But when you put "breathing" with it, as in "breathing disorder", that seems to fit OSA pretty well. Although the first thought that would probably jump to mind for "breathing disorder" is asthma. Switch it around a little and add the word "sleep" ... that gets us to "Sleep Disordered Breathing". SDB describes it quite well. But now we're too far away from one word (and from the point of this topic at all.)
"Condition" - has the connotation of something variable; something that can be changed. That works nicely, since the condition of having sleep disordered breathing can be changed each night.
Disorder, Condition - either of those work for me. Disease? nah.
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hoser
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