Sleep Apnea New Cholesterol

[justbreathe]

Visited my sleep doctor for the first time. One thing he said was that the study of sleep apnea is still in it's infancy.

I have a mixed bag of complex sleep apnea that is more difficult then run of the mill OSA. He said that my age, health neck size, and throat structure all indicate I should not have sleep apnea.

He expects the coming years will reveal the health benefits of treating Sleep Apnea as well as the health risks and danger of not being treated. AHI will be screened like HDL and LDL Cholesterol.

He was surprised how much I know about the subject and I told him about my friends online that were my support system.

Thank you,
JB

[JohnBFisher]

... Visited my sleep doctor for the first time. One thing he said was that the study of sleep apnea is still in it's infancy.

I have a mixed bag of complex sleep apnea that is more difficult then run of the mill OSA. He said that my age, health neck size, and throat structure all indicate I should not have sleep apnea.

He expects the coming years will reveal the health benefits of treating Sleep Apnea as well as the health risks and danger of not being treated. AHI will be screened like HDL and LDL Cholesterol.

He was surprised how much I know about the subject and I told him about my friends online that were my support system.

Thank you,
JB

I tend to agree with him. Let's equate Sleep Apnea to another disorder that has been around longer (diagnosed and treated). Compare it to Diabetes. It was finally well understood and treatable in the later 30s. During the late 70s and early 80s you were finally starting to see the ability for patients to test their blood sugar and start to treat their situation "as needed". For example, some thirty years later it is now very common for doctors to prescribe a "sliding scale" of insulin to take that takes into account your health, your physical activity, the number of carbohydrates you eat, and your current blood glucose numbers. And it is really only fairly recently (within the past 10 years) that an annual physical normally includes fasting blood glucose test.

It took about 40 to 50 years the technologies to develop and before doctors started to consider allowing patients to self monitor and dose. It took another 30 years before most doctors tend to use this "sliding scale" approach.

At the time I was diagnosed with sleep apnea (some 20 years ago), the machine pressure had to be set using a manometer. We now have machines that allow us to monitor our therapy. (This is very similar to the blood glucose monitors for diabetes). Some doctors both allow and encourage active patient involvement in their therapy. But many are uncomfortable with that approach. It will be another 20 years or so become we have regular screening for sleep apnea. By then we will probably see prescriptions on a sliding scale that allow a lot more patient involvement and probably include more than one data point (our breathing) collection. I would not be surprised to see a pulse oximeter built into our devices in the near future.