Emedicine has an excellent article about the complications..

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:33 am

I hope this address works. The article is long, but if you skim through it you can find many answers to your questions.

http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic694.htm

Here is a quote, just three lines from several pages, but it should be food for thought if you or a loved one is debating using XPAP equipment.

"Some suggest that OSA should be a separate risk factor for heart disease (along with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking). The Sleep Heart Health Study showed that the incidence of stroke was higher in OSA than in any other cardiovascular disease.(6) Additionally, some studies suggest that sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with an increased long-term mortality after cerebrovascular accidents. OSA was 5 times more frequent in stroke patients than in healthy patients of the same age and gender."

Fairly straightforward, easy to understand most of it. Part of the article had four syllable words, so I skipped it, but you know what I mean. It might answer some questions for you.

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:44 pm

Very good article! I didn't know that "Upper airway resistance increases up to 7 times that of waking levels. Muscle tone is lost, especially in the intercostal and pharyngeal muscles; however, the diaphragm maintains its tone." So much to learn!

dllfo · Post by **dllfo** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:19 pm

You are SO right. They are doing research every day with varying results.

I am with my SV till death do us part. But I keep trying ... who knows, a miracle may happen.