Is CPAP a risk for upper resp "infections"

[ozij]

Less upper respiratory tract infections since I started on CPAP (3 and a half years ago).

Covidien suggest a 1/9 vinegar to water proportion in their Sandman Series humidifier instructions.
O.

[roster]

This week I just had my first cold, and it is a mild one, since I started cpap three years ago. I used to have two to three bad colds per year and now only one mild cold in three years! Problems with allergies have greatly diminished also.

[birdshell]

karen i'm not sure i'm following your regime. On one hand it says what your RT told you to do daily, which seems an inordinate amount of work and on the other you say you would need to stay home if you did it daily. So please explain how often you follow that regime and or what you find it necessary to do daily.
thanks,
gregg )

Gregg,

I am sorry that the regime wasn't clear. With the number of differing protocols people recommend, it makes the cleaning issue pretty confusing.

My daily regime is: wash the mask with Method dishwashing liquid (free of everything; I got mine at Target) and rinse it in hot water, shake the excess off vigorously, and then allow it to air dry.

My weekly (to every 10 days or so) regime is: wash mask, silicone humidifier seal, humidifier cover, 6 or 8 foot hose, and any mask hose, etc. (depending on the mask) and rinse in hot water. (I don't shake off the water as I'll be using more.)

Then, after rinsing dish soap off, I use a 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water soak for at least a half hour. Then rinse in hot water, shake off as much excess as possible, and allow to air dry until used, which is usually within an hour or so later in my case. I tend to be a procrastinator.

In winter, when it is hose cover season, I sometimes do not clean the hose because it is a pain to pull it out of the cover. Thus, I maybe do clean it monthly.

If you search the forum for cleaning, you will no doubt find WAY more than you ever wanted to know. I hope this helps. Cleaning methods aren't agreed upon. One would think that a cut-and-dried solution would exist, but it is just very confusing when there are so many various opinions.

All the best,

Karen

[imsleepynomore]

My cleaning regime is a quick wash and rinse my mask and humidifier daily with baby shampoo it rinses quickly takes less time than my coffee pot in the morning to complete .I lay mask and humididfier on a towel to dry and thats my cleaning regime . Once a week I clean my hose and filter with baby shampoo rinse well hang to dry ,I change my white fine filter each month this has nearly eleminated all allergy symptoms and improved my asthma. The 3 minutes this takes pays off for me KEEP IT SIMPLE

[hoist]

I have been using a CPAP for over a year.
Since using it I have not been sick at all !! I went through allergy season last year without taking meds for alergies, and this was a first for me. I also got through the cold and flu season healthy while my spouse and kids all got sick. I am convinced that my CPAP keeps me from getting the allergies and sinus problems that used to be such a problem for me.
BTW- I only cleam my hoses about every 6 months.

[Kilopy]

My experience has been that I have less issues now than pre-CPAP. Have been on CPAP for almost eight years and have a significanlty lower incidence of sinus infections than before, which I attribute to the humidifier used with the CPAP. I keep the setting quite high during the winter (setting of four on the Remstart, max. setting is 5). My Dr. agrees that the smaller number of sinus infections is likely due to the humidification of the air I breat at night. I wouldn't think the CPAP alone would help much but the humidifier does.

[VA3AEQ]

I'm not sure I've had fewer infections, but the severity and longevity of the two infections I've had have been lessened significantly.

I had the flu in Jaunary. I was sick for 3 days. My wife had the same flu and she was sick for well over a week.

I personally attribute it to breathing humidified and filtered air 6 - 8 hours a day.

Dave.....

[BlackSpinner]

I also think that those that do come down with something just after they get their cpap are getting it due to a lowered immune system after years of bad sleep plus the stress of adapting to cpap. For some getting on cpap is a huge stresser and stress is well known to lower the immune systems effectiveness.

[EricinNC]

Yes using CPAP does raise your risk for upper respiratory infections. And yes, frequent and proper cleaning decreases your risks of infections. Dirty gear equals a dirty nose and lungs. Its no different than working in a nasty old warehouse filled with dust or mold all day long and breathing it. Keep your gear clean, use good clean distilled water or boiled well water (no city tap water with chlorine/fluoride) and you should be OK. Also, using a steroid nasal spray can keep the upper respiratory infections down. I use Nasacort AQ nasal steroid spray and it works great.

Keeping vitamin D levels up also helps fight off infections and skin breakdown.

Eric

[scrapper]

Also, using a steroid nasal spray can keep the upper respiratory infections down. I use Nasacort AQ nasal steroid spray and it works great.

I disagree............adding any kind of additional steroids to your body, even nasal sprays, is never a good thing.........

[BlackSpinner]

Dirty gear equals a dirty nose and lungs. Its no different than working in a nasty old warehouse filled with dust or mold all day long and breathing it. Keep your gear clean, use good clean distilled water or boiled well water (no city tap water with chlorine/fluoride) and you should be OK. Also, using a steroid nasal spray can keep the upper respiratory infections down.

Dust and mold do not cause flu or colds, they can cause allergic reactions which in turn cause inflammation but they DO NOT CAUSE VIRAL INFECTIONS! Nasal sprays only reduce inflammation, they do NOTHING to prevent infection. However inflammation can create a good breeding ground for bacteria already in your system. So that is a good reason to keep inflammation down. But none of this is related to cpap in particular.

The only reason for using distilled water is to avoid mineral build up. The water in the humidifier is evaporated into the air you breathe, which is basically what distilled water is.

[Damun]

Dust and mold do not cause flu or colds

Correctamundo!

Only certain bacteria and viruses do! But if your nasal mucosa (the inner skin of the nose) is too dry, it tends to increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections.

I have been using CPAP for allmost a year now, and during the first 6 months i had a lot of upper respiratory tract infections (colds, flu, sinusitis). As somebody allready mentioned it could be caused several factors (stress, lowered imune system from sleep deprivation etc.). I know that my D-vitamin level has been very low too. The last 6 months i have been taking D-vitamins (orally), and i have used saline nasal spray before i go to bed, and i haven't had any infections. I have even managed to stay clear of the many infections that my kids drag home with them from school and kindergarden.

BTW, I don't use a humidifier, i don't believe in them!

What i want to say is that ...well, what did i want to say?? .No clue.... Oh, yes: increased risk for upper resp infections can be caused by many factors, but i don't believe CPAP to be one of them.
Spring is on it's way here in Denmark, and i'm looking forward to see if the fine filter on my CPAP will reduce my allergies.

[BlackSpinner]

BTW, I don't use a humidifier, i don't believe in them!


Spring is on it's way here in Denmark, and i'm looking forward to see if the fine filter on my CPAP will reduce my allergies.

You probably haven't spent any time in the Canadian over heated dried out home in the winter or you would know the value of humidity, it is dryer then any desert. Dried out nasal passages crack and allow bacteria to enter, cause nose bleeds and other nasties. That was true even without cpap. The humidifier on my cpap along with the filter has made winter much more bearable. Plus the filter has decreased my allergies in spring and summer too - nothing beats breathing filtered clean air for 8 hours out of 24! It reduces my exposure to allergens by 1/3.

[EricinNC]

Also, using a steroid nasal spray can keep the upper respiratory infections down. I use Nasacort AQ nasal steroid spray and it works great.

I disagree............adding any kind of additional steroids to your body, even nasal sprays, is never a good thing.........

You obviously do not have sinus issues.

Eric

[HoseCrusher]

The only reason for using distilled water is to avoid mineral build up. The water in the humidifier is evaporated into the air you breathe, which is basically what distilled water is.

Wouldn't it be nice if that is the way it really worked...

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