CPAP causes decreased kidney function-- RESEARCH

[Azariah777]

Hi everybody:

I found this rather disturbing paper on MEDLINE and wondered what everyone thought about it:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC29011/

In it, healthy people (no kidney disease and no sleep apnea) used a CPAP machine. This DECREASED the blood flow to their kidneys and INCREASED their whole body water retention.

That is, their kidneys did not function as well! The CPAP was decreasing their kidney function!

I just started using the CPAP machine two weeks ago, but this doesn't sound good to me.

It might also explain why I've gained 10 pounds in two weeks and am now severely constipated.

Does anyone have thoughts about this?

-Azariah

[zoocrewphoto]

It was done almost 20 years ago, with very different technology. AND, they only used 10 healthy people. That is a TINY study and pretty useless.

I can't imagine how breathing better would cause a problem with kidneys. That seems a bit ridiculous to me.

As to your gaining weight and constipation, the weight gain may be the constipation itself. And if you are sleeping differently, ytour digestive system may be trying to adjust. You may also be swallowing air which can make you feel uncomfortable. With some time, you will adjust and won't have these issues.

We can also help you get through any adjustments. It can take some time to hone in on the correct settings for you, both therapeutic and comfort.

[palerider]

Does anyone have thoughts about this?

nothing like cutting edge (Published online 1999 Mar 16) medical research, eh?

tiny study, ancient tech, non-OSA subjects, ... all leads to 'meh'.

[Julie]

I wonder how many Cpap users would like to return to pre-Cpap times and have to get up many times overnight to use the bathroom?

I'd be very interested to see a new study (post e.g. 2012) using newer equipment and a much larger cohort (sample) of people, all ages, to see what they come up with now.

[Azariah777]

I can't imagine how breathing better would cause a problem with kidneys. That seems a bit ridiculous to me.

As to your gaining weight and constipation, the weight gain may be the constipation itself. And if you are sleeping differently, ytour digestive system may be trying to adjust. You may also be swallowing air which can make you feel uncomfortable. With some time, you will adjust and won't have these issues.

We can also help you get through any adjustments. It can take some time to hone in on the correct settings for you, both therapeutic and comfort.

Thanks for this zoocrewphoto. I really do appreciate the community here! (I've been lurking a while.) This seems to be a very supportive group. I really hope I can get through this introductory adjustment phase. I'm sure I will with your help!

I do hope the constipation is just a shift in my physiology as my body gets used to sleeping again and that the constipation will go away. That is my hope as well!

I suppose I should start another introductory thread. I'll summarize here quickly.

In two weeks on the CPAP machine, the overall quality of my life has improved DRAMATICALLY! Sure, I'm less tired, but the even more amazing thing is that I think better and my memory has improved. I feel less anxious during the day.-- I used to always have a low level of anxiety. My muscles used to be crazy sore just walking up the stairs--- that is better by about 75%. My skin quality has improved--- less inflamed, more firm, fewer wrinkles. My hormones seem to be improving--- I've been getting whiteheads on my face and chest--- something that hasn't happened in this quantity since I've been a teenager! I have been remembering my dreams again. Those are all the good things.

The only negatives I have experienced so far are the following:

I currently use a nasal mask. The lower part of the mask presses against my upper front teeth. My upper front teeth have been slowly shifted, so that at this point I have difficulty bringing my teeth fully together Perhaps my mask is too tight?
Constipation and weight gain, as mentioned.
Sore gums and tongue and very dry mouth. I guess this is from the air blowing through my mouth when I'm asleep?
Inside my ears is kind of sore and it sort of feels like I'm under water. I suppose this is the air pushing on the eustachian tubes?
I have a little sore on the bridge of my nose.
For about a week, my throat was very sore like I'd been shouting. That seems to have improved now.

Oh, and this negative:

I cannot speak to the doctor that ran my sleep study to ask questions! They don't have an appointment with him until November! That is quite frustrating. My GP ordered the sleep study. I went to the sleep clinic. A tech hooked me up and actually ran the sleep study. The results in the form of a written report was written the MD who runs the sleep clinic. They charged me $800 for this (which I paid out of pocket since I don't have insurance.) All of this did not include a consultation with the sleep doctor. I have to pay another $200 for that... which seems a lot. I'm willing to pay that, but the frustrating thing is that I can't even see the doc for THREE MONTHS to ask questions!

Thanks again everyone for the support.

I guess the consensus about the paper I posted is that it's old and has few participants with old technology, so it's not really relevant anymore.

[Julie]

It may not be complicated... try a better diet for the constipation - you likely were retaining water prior to Cpap and it incidentally kept constipation at bay - but now that your OSA's fixed (more or less) you need to address what was actually not a good thing, though you didn't realize it was a problem at the time.

And you should try a FF mask... there are so many out there and Cpap.com will let you try most for 30 days at a time, plus the website has pix, graphs, reviews, etc. about all of them. Do try them lying down - your face changes when you do that so the seal will be different from when you're sitting.

And you may have a special doctor who understands all about Cpap equipment, treatment, etc, but the majority seem to have stopped learning once they 'got' the science of apnea down, and are often ignorant about how individual equipment is used, leaving details to the techs who are just trying to sell stuff and may not be well trained either. Which is why we are here.

[Pugsy]

In two weeks on the CPAP machine

My upper front teeth have been slowly shifted, so that at this point I have difficulty bringing my teeth fully together Perhaps my mask is too tight?

See a dentist... 8 hours a night for 2 weeks even at vise grip levels of being tight shouldn't cause teeth movement unless something else is going on.

Get a different mask that doesn't cause pressure on that area.

[ChicagoGranny]

The lower part of the mask presses against my upper front teeth.

Please fill out your equipment profile - https://www.cpaptalk.com/ucp.php?i=prof ... pment_info

[rohdej]

There may be some truth the the article. Mine stopped working overtime as soon as I masked up. No more 3 trip a night to the bathroom.

[Goofproof]

You need to be more selective, poor science doesn't make it correct. Mine has improved, but I take tests to measure my results. Your time would be better spent treating your Sleep Apnea, less trolling the internet for junk science. Jim

[palerider]

There may be some truth the the article. Mine stopped working overtime as soon as I masked up. No more 3 trip a night to the bathroom.

apnea causes a drop in oxygen, brain signals heart to pump more so brain doesn't die, heart pumps more, raises blood pressure, kidneys get signal to produce more urine to lower blood pressure, bladder fills, you get up to pee (or else).

quite simple (well, explained anyway), and has nothing to do with the article.

[chunkyfrog]

The only reduction in kidney function I experienced was that my pee trips dropped from 4-5 times a night to maybe ONE.
So, mine went from leaky to normal. It's all good. Methinks the OP should see a specialist.
Cpap will not cure everything--and something "new" may not be as new as you think, but had been covered up by the apnea;
and is now being revealed as a distinct and unrelated problem. It happens all the time.

[Gasper62]

Oddly enough, my cpap treatment has stopped my forming (and passing ) of kidney stones in addition to stopping my nocturia. Even though I hate the expression...... it's been a "win win" for me kidney-wise.

[moonslice]

AZ, have you tried showing up in the waiting room and telling the receptionist you have a question? At the very least, they will tell you to make an appointment, but the nurse might check with a doctor for you while you're there. A bodily presence does a lot.

You are a patient and I've never been charged for asking questions over the phone! Why can't you call and tell the nurse you have a question? He or she might check with the doctor and get back with you.

[avi123]

Azaryahu, you wrote above:

My GP ordered the sleep study. I went to the sleep clinic. A tech hooked me up and actually ran the sleep study. The results in the form of a written report was written {by} the MD who runs the sleep clinic.


If you are correct that the MD who wrote your report "runs the sleep clinic" then it would be against Medicare rules. They need to be separate.