few questions

bman · Post by **bman** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:29 am

I would like to know whether losing a lot of weight can lead to better AHI.

I like to know anyone with BMI of 20 or less suffering from osa.

I think my blocked nose is causing high hypopnoea reading cos
-autopap pressure went up by itself when I am consciously breathing

I am thinking maybe AI is more important than AHI or HI.

Thanks for the help.

Ross_R · Post by **Ross_R** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:11 am

I would like to know whether losing a lot of weight can lead to better AHI.

It sounds like losing weight can help lessen OSA, but treatment is still usually needed anyway, depending on the severity.

I like to know anyone with BMI of 20 or less suffering from osa.

Thin people can get OSA as well, it's not always caused by weight.

My BMI is under 20 and I have been diagnosed with mod-severe OSA, however I also have a thyroid condition that could be agrevating, or even causing it.

I think my blocked nose is causing high hypopnoea reading cos
-autopap pressure went up by itself when I am consciously breathing

A blocked nose will cause an autopap to do that, do you have a humidifier?

bman · Post by **bman** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 4:55 am

thanks for your reply

I am using resmed autoset with humidifier.

What is your pressure and what is your AHI?

Do you have a big neck? thyroid glands often located much lower than the tongue. May be OSA is related more to big fat tongue etc rather than one's bmi

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:27 am

??

The thyroid gland (singular) is down in the throat.

Perhaps you mean t to say "tonsils"??

- JB

ITeach · Post by **ITeach** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:38 am

I have a BMI under 20 and was diagnosed with severe OSA. I don't fit any of the stereotypes, though. I'm female, only 35 yrs. old, and have been within my ideal weight range most of my life (except during and following pregnancies.)

However, having gained a lot of weight during pregnancies and worked for over a year at losing it, I can tell you that it is well worth losing even if it doesn't improve OSA. I found more energy even before I was diagnosed once I lost the weight. I lost 50 pounds and I don't know how I ever carried that much around! My 26 pound 2 1/2 year-old gets hard to carry very quickly. I don't know how I carried around 50 all the time!!

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 10:33 am

ITeach wrote:...I don't fit any of the stereotypes, though. ...

hmmm, other than a higher percentage of people with sleep apnea being male, what stereotypes are you talking about? Other than a few statistics such as more men than women having it, I've not seen a stereo-typical description of someone who you could say yup, I bet they have sleep apnea.

ron

Ross_R · Post by **Ross_R** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:56 am

??

The thyroid gland (singular) is down in the throat. Confused

Perhaps you mean t to say "tonsils"?? Smile

- JB

Nope, I am talking about the thyroid. Thyroid problems have many of the same symptoms of sleep apnea, and can even cause it.
This is because in a hypothyroid (underactive thyroid) condition muscles relax more than normal during sleep, this can cause even severe apnea.

thanks for your reply

I am using resmed autoset with humidifier.

What is your pressure and what is your AHI?

Do you have a big neck? thyroid glands often located much lower than the tongue. May be OSA is related more to big fat tongue etc rather than one's bmi

I am still waiting on my cpap pressure, on an auto it runs about 6-8cm. My AHI is 26/hr. I don't have a big neck, but interestingly thyroid problems (which I have) can cause swelling of the tongue as well.

Not saying you have this, but it is just another thing to check if nothing else works out.

neversleeps · Post by **neversleeps** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 12:53 pm

The following excerpt is from The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

Who Gets Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Anyone can have obstructive sleep apnea.

It is estimated that more than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea. More than half the people who have sleep apnea are overweight, and most snore heavily.

Adults most likely to have sleep apnea:
-Snore loudly
-Are overweight
-Have high blood pressure
-Have decreased size of the airways in their nose, throat, or mouth. This can be caused by the shape of these structures or by medical conditions causing congestion in these areas, such as hay fever or other allergies.
-Have a family history of sleep apnea.
-Sleep apnea is more common in men. One out of 25 middle-aged men and 1 out of 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea that causes them to be very sleepy during the day. Sleep apnea is more common in African Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. If someone in your family has sleep apnea, you are more likely to develop sleep apnea than someone without a family history of the condition.

-Obstructive sleep apnea can also occur in children who snore. If your child snores, you should discuss it with your child's doctor or health care provider.

To see entire article:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Dis ... hatIs.html

Based on the thread where we all listed our ailments in addition to OSA, it appears almost all of us are overweight (myself included).

ITeach · Post by **ITeach** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 3:16 pm

The stereotypes I was speaking about are build, enlarged tonsils, older, overweight, male. I have had several specialists (ENTs, Neurologists, etc.) tell me they never would have guessed I had OSA. I don't have the thicker neck, etc. I even had an ENT tell me he wanted my sleep study results because he never would have guessed I had it. I was glad to be able to educate him and do my part in dispelling the misconceptions of many in the healthcare community. It took me many years of misery and a full year of an excruciating headache to even convince someone that i was really tired. I hope I am able to educate MDs etc, so no one else has to live like that.

Sue

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:04 pm

Great, concise explanation, Sue.
I wish you good luck in your operation and recuperation.
O.

Teej813 · Post by **Teej813** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 4:38 am

Good topic, all.

I guess i'm not a typical OSA sufferer either (altho', i'm just now learning there IS such a thing). But i do have to take Synthroid for low thyroid condition. I had no idea that could be related to OSA.

Man, i love this forum. Learn something new every time i stop in!

teej

JiEmIn · Post by **JiEmIn** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 2:01 am

[quote="bman"]I would like to know whether losing a lot of weight can lead to better AHI.

I like to know anyone with BMI of 20 or less suffering from osa.

I think my blocked nose is causing high hypopnoea reading cos
-autopap pressure went up by itself when I am consciously breathing

I am thinking maybe AI is more important than AHI or HI.

Thanks for the help.

_________________

Hi,
You've made some queries with regards to OSA and I hope my answers can help. I'm asian by the way, and have many friends who uses CPAP.

Asians are typically small sized, like Vietnamese, or Thai and even Chinese, but we do get OSA as well. This is sometimes due to a narrower airway from differences in airway structure or nasal structure, such as a crooked nose.

If you have a BMI of less than 20, weight loss is not going to be the solution. There have been studies that for the grossly obese, 10% reduction in weight will decrease the AHI by approximately 10%. Since you weren't overweight, it would probably not help.

Between, if your nose is blocked, don't use CPAP. It's written in the User's manual if you have checked it out, under contraindications. Use a humidifier, or if it's a sinus problem, clear it first.

Lastly, yes, AI is worse than HI. AI is total cessation of air, and HI is partial reduction in the air you breathe. AHI is a combination of both.

Cheers to better sleep!

bman · Post by **bman** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 6:30 am

I really thank everyone for answering the questions.

My BMI is about 26 but my neck is huge ie no chin. I have some suspicion that if I reduce my neck size, my osa will be better. I am trying hard to lose may be 10 kilos to see some improvement.

I am suspecting may be it's my blocked nose that made it difficult for the
AHI to go below 5 as my AI is less than 1.

I am reluctant to get any nose opinion as the condition is tolerable and I dont like the discomfort and limited long term benefit associated with most nasal operations. What would be the harms of using cpap if there is any blocked nose and in fact I find that it improved my nose condition ?allergic rhinitis. I think the filtered air as well as inflation af nasal and sinus spaces would help. Interested to know others' opinion.

could someone please tell me whether 420E is better than my current resmed autoset cpap for blocked nose ie ?=shallowed breathing. I would like crisp or SWS's opinion on this once more.

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