Can high humidity cause an infection?

[acidragon]

Hey guys is there any chance of getting a sinus infection because the humidity is set too high? Im once again starting to get another infection... blowing green and non stop blowing. The only thing I did different in the past two days was set my humidity to 3 which causes it to condensate my entire hose where I can pour a decent amount of water out if I tilt the hose in the morning. On 2 I feel sort of dry but if that could be the culprit to my infections I'll deal with some dryness. And yes I clean my equipment everyday. This will be my 5th infection since starting Cpap in feb. Going to schedule another appointment with the doctor but Im guessing hes not going to have any answers except prescribe more pills.

[Julie]

Hi - I'd say that if there are any bugs around, and your nose is set up perfectly to receive them (hot and humid) there's probably a fair chance you might end up with a problem... have you not tried to sleep without the humidifier for a few days at a time, or at least turned it way down? It's not part of 'direct' therapy as such, just a convenient add-on for those who need it.

[JohnBFisher]

Can it cause an infection? No. But it definitely might create a perfect condition for an infection to flourish. Think of it this way, most folks here use humidity but don't have an infection. Some folks don't use humidification (like I don't), but still get an infection. The infection will occur regardless of humidity, though increased humidity might make it easier for the infection to take hold and spread.

Hope that makes sense. (I'm not sure I explained it clearly enough!)

[BlackSpinner]

It is totally individual and you need to talk to your ENT about it.

Some peoples sinuses get irritated with too much humidity and some with too little.

It is the irritation/ inflammation which seals up small warm moist places which allow bacteria to breed.

[archangle]

I would expect that for some people, high humidity increases the chance of an infection. However, without humidification, you may find that your nasal passages dry out too much, and that may make you more susceptible to infections as well.

[caffeinatedcfo]

It is totally individual and you need to talk to your ENT about it.

Some peoples sinuses get irritated with too much humidity and some with too little.

It is the irritation/ inflammation which seals up small warm moist places which allow bacteria to breed.

+1

[zeddic]

I have been a CPAP user since 2010. In that time period I have had tons of sinus infections, about once every 1-2 months. I used to think it was because of allergies and dry air. I had my humidity settings set to the highest level (5) but still kept getting a lot of infections. Last year I decided to play with the humidity and kept lowering the humidity levels and finally settled it down to 1. I still got 1 or 2 sinus infections but I feel lowering humidity down to 1 seems to have cut down on the frequency of the infections (twice in 1 year). This is just something I have experienced and I can't tell you with any certainty that what works for me will work for you as well. What I would like to share is that as someone else suggested, there is no hard and fast rule to this and you should play with your settings to see what gives you the most relief.

Another trick I have been doing is keeping an afrin nasal spray near the bed and if I feel any kind of congestion I use that to make sure my sinuses stay clear for the night. Hope that helps.

[JohnBFisher]

I have been a CPAP user since 2010. In that time period I have had tons of sinus infections, about once every 1-2 months. ...

While you unfortunately have had a negative experience with this, others like myself have had the reverse issue. I've used CPAP/BiPAP/ASV for more than 20 years at this point. In that time I managed to AVOID lots and lots of cases of bronchitis and colds. I would get two or three cases of bronchitis per year. Now I tend to get one every couple years. And I would essentially have a cold the entire winter. No more. The difference? Well, with my airway open, my nasal passages are better able to clear and stay healthy.

And from what I've read on the forum that seems to be more of the norm.

Since you clearly have seen problems increase for you, you might want to look into techniques to clean your nasal passages to help keep them healthy. For example, rather than Afrin, you might want to consider a saline solution nasal spray. Just something I know that helps me.

[zeddic]

I have been a CPAP user since 2010. In that time period I have had tons of sinus infections, about once every 1-2 months. ...

While you unfortunately have had a negative experience with this, others like myself have had the reverse issue. I've used CPAP/BiPAP/ASV for more than 20 years at this point. In that time I managed to AVOID lots and lots of cases of bronchitis and colds. I would get two or three cases of bronchitis per year. Now I tend to get one every couple years. And I would essentially have a cold the entire winter. No more. The difference? Well, with my airway open, my nasal passages are better able to clear and stay healthy.

And from what I've read on the forum that seems to be more of the norm.

Since you clearly have seen problems increase for you, you might want to look into techniques to clean your nasal passages to help keep them healthy. For example, rather than Afrin, you might want to consider a saline solution nasal spray. Just something I know that helps me.

I actually do also use the netti-pot nasal rinses on a regular basis and that does seem to help. Don't get me wrong, I am quite happy with the quality of sleep from the relief of using my CPAP and I dare not even try sleeping without it! I accept and deal with the sinus infections and have found a way to decrease the frequency lately. The afrin is for immediate relief for that night, I very very rarely have to use it consecutively but is more of a proactive and preventative measure from getting mucus shoved into my sinuses (I have a very high pressure setting on my machine) by the cpap as my nasal passages get stuffier at night. Using the afrin/zicam spray allows me to have a good night sleep and decreases the risk of me developing sinus infections later on.

[purple]

I believe this is an important issue. I know someone who has had a number of nasal infections before starting xPAP, and now will not use the machine because it seems to cause such infections to recur.

I have been told the following: It is difficult to fully kill germs in the sinuses because the sinuses do not have circulation, like cells have blood. Then I was told that some of the antibiotics an indeed clobber these germs in the sinuses. Can we get some clarification on this issue from someone?

When I had surgery last year, the nursing staff said that the O2, would be administered dry to forestall potential infections. As well they would not allow me to use the humidifier on my APAP.

In the 1970's in hospitals we had inhalation therapy for a lot of those in hospitals in which the patient was required to breath a mist which was a mixture of water, antibiotics, in some cases, O2. This was to treat a number of lung infections, which were more common then. Does anyone know why this policy was discontinued?

I believe that xPAP treatment could be augmented by adding some type of inhalation therapy.

In the mean time. I suggest that you might try the treatments from the food and nutritional supplement people. Garlic to boost the immune system and a reasonable amount of Colloidal Silver. Which is also my recommendation if the bird flu hits.

[acidragon]

I have been a CPAP user since 2010. In that time period I have had tons of sinus infections, about once every 1-2 months. I used to think it was because of allergies and dry air. I had my humidity settings set to the highest level (5) but still kept getting a lot of infections. Last year I decided to play with the humidity and kept lowering the humidity levels and finally settled it down to 1. I still got 1 or 2 sinus infections but I feel lowering humidity down to 1 seems to have cut down on the frequency of the infections (twice in 1 year). This is just something I have experienced and I can't tell you with any certainty that what works for me will work for you as well. What I would like to share is that as someone else suggested, there is no hard and fast rule to this and you should play with your settings to see what gives you the most relief.

Another trick I have been doing is keeping an afrin nasal spray near the bed and if I feel any kind of congestion I use that to make sure my sinuses stay clear for the night. Hope that helps.

I think once I'm better I will try either 1 or no humidifier for a few weeks and see how I pan out. I think this is my 6th infection since I started cpap in Feb. But what I have noticed too is the last two infections have been in one side of my sinuses only. The opposite side of the side I sleep on.... So it does seem like the side getting more airflow is the one having more of the problem. Also thanks everyone for their input. I'll keep everyone posted on my results.

Ps I've been trying to rule out other factors such as potential infection from using a neti pot that was used during a past infection, old hose and old mask. So far it seems like when I get better and get back on the machine within a week or so I'm sick again. The only thing I am not able to factor out is my work environment. I'm a welder and theres metal dust and construction dust that I am breathing in all day long. But before cpap I would get one infection a year or none. But perhaps the cpap is now pushing the foreign materials further in? I've been wearing dust masks since I started having these infections but I'm sure dirt still gets in.

[Pekoepup]

The number of sinus infections you have had seems excessive. I have chronic health issues and frequently cycle on and off of high doses of steroids. The steroids weaken my immune system but I have never had a sinus infection since starting CPAP five years ago.

At this point, I am concerned that you have some other health issue that is making you susceptible to these infections. When you go back to see your doctor, you should request an referral to an ENT, who specializes in sinus issues. A CT scan or MRI may be warranted. You may be colonized with a resistant bacteria or a very stubborn bacteria. While on antibiotics, your symptoms could be improving as the bacterial counts drop but maybe not all the bacteria is being killed off. All you need is a little left to start the infection all over again.

You could have unusual anatomy in your sinuses which an ENT can check out with a scope. Another thought is that you could have an immune deficiency. Many people have them and they have no idea. You may need to have your IgG, IgA and IgM levels checked along with a CBC. It seems like this is beyond the scope of your primary care MD and you need to call in the big guns. Good luck and I hope you get some relief soon.

[acidragon]

The number of sinus infections you have had seems excessive. I have chronic health issues and frequently cycle on and off of high doses of steroids. The steroids weaken my immune system but I have never had a sinus infection since starting CPAP five years ago.

At this point, I am concerned that you have some other health issue that is making you susceptible to these infections. When you go back to see your doctor, you should request an referral to an ENT, who specializes in sinus issues. A CT scan or MRI may be warranted. You may be colonized with a resistant bacteria or a very stubborn bacteria. While on antibiotics, your symptoms could be improving as the bacterial counts drop but maybe not all the bacteria is being killed off. All you need is a little left to start the infection all over again.

You could have unusual anatomy in your sinuses which an ENT can check out with a scope. Another thought is that you could have an immune deficiency. Many people have them and they have no idea. You may need to have your IgG, IgA and IgM levels checked along with a CBC. It seems like this is beyond the scope of your primary care MD and you need to call in the big guns. Good luck and I hope you get some relief soon.

Thats pretty much what my ENT said. He wants me off the cpap for a few days and when I get better I'm going for a cat scan. Thanks again guys will keep everyone posted.

[Wulfman...]

Hey guys is there any chance of getting a sinus infection because the humidity is set too high? Im once again starting to get another infection... blowing green and non stop blowing. The only thing I did different in the past two days was set my humidity to 3 which causes it to condensate my entire hose where I can pour a decent amount of water out if I tilt the hose in the morning. On 2 I feel sort of dry but if that could be the culprit to my infections I'll deal with some dryness. And yes I clean my equipment everyday. This will be my 5th infection since starting Cpap in feb. Going to schedule another appointment with the doctor but Im guessing hes not going to have any answers except prescribe more pills.

My initial thought when I read this was that with all the "cleaning", you're introducing some "contaminates" (or pathogens) into your equipment during the cleaning process.

Hope you find out what's going on.


Den

.

[mgaggie]

I've had a chest and head cold for the past week and didn't use my machine, I just couldn't breathe properly with it. A couple of days won't hurt