Does Sleep Apnea Kill

Interesting article published by Mayo Clinic and funded by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute


In the study, funded by the NHLBI, 10,701 people who participated in sleep studies were followed for an average of 5.3 years for incidence of sudden cardiac death. In that time, 142 patients died of sudden cardiac death. The most common predictors were an age of 60 or older, 20 or more apnea episodes per hour of sleep, and an oxygen saturation below 78 percent during sleep.

"What we found that is new with this study is that if you have sleep apnea, your risk of sudden death increases almost twofold, particularly if you stopped breathing more than 20 times per hour of sleep and if you had severe falls in oxygen saturation during sleep," says senior author Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.

When a person is breathing properly, the oxygen saturation level — when air flows through the lungs — during sleep is 100 percent, Dr. Somers says. This study showed that if a person is not breathing properly and the oxygen saturation level falls to as low as 78 percent, the risk of sudden cardiac death significantly increases, he says.

Lead author Apoor Gami, M.D., says Mayo Clinic's previous research showed that people with sleep apnea have a much higher risk of sudden cardiac death between midnight and 6 a.m., when people are typically asleep, while people without sleep apnea die more often from sudden cardiac death between 6 a.m. and noon.

"So we knew that sleep apnea changed the time of sudden cardiac death, but we didn't know if it changed the overall risk," Dr. Gami says. "This new study shows that sleep apnea does indeed increase the overall risk of sudden cardiac death independently of other important risk factors.

In other news:

New studies determine:

that water is likely to be wet, (more research needed)

that falling isn't dangerous, it's that sudden stop, (volunteers hard to find)

speed doesn't actually kill, again, it's that sudden stop,

things just removed from the oven or microwave tend to be hot.

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:09 pm

In other news:

New studies determine:

that water is likely to be wet, (more research needed)

that falling isn't dangerous, it's that sudden stop, (volunteers hard to find)

speed doesn't actually kill, again, it's that sudden stop,

things just removed from the oven or microwave tend to be hot.

I hope they can find the funding to pay for even more foolish research. They got to pay off all those student loans for the kids that failed the employment test at Mc Dee's! Jim

Often we see people who come here in denial of the seriousness of OSA. Documentation is more effective than opinion for most. I did not look at the study critically, but in general I think the more ammo in our arsenal the better.

kteague wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:37 pm

Often we see people who come here in denial of the seriousness of OSA. Documentation is more effective than opinion for most. I did not look at the study critically, but in general I think the more ammo in our arsenal the better.

That's a good point.

kteague wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:37 pm

Often we see people who come here in denial of the seriousness of OSA. Documentation is more effective than opinion for most. I did not look at the study critically, but in general I think the more ammo in our arsenal the better.

Yep!!

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:38 pm

kteague wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:37 pm

Often we see people who come here in denial of the seriousness of OSA. Documentation is more effective than opinion for most. I did not look at the study critically, but in general I think the more ammo in our arsenal the better.

That's a good point.

Even Hollow Points! Jim

Two words: Reggie White.

I might have picked Antonin Scalia, but he may have had outside assistance.

I might have also suggested those who fall asleep at the wheel and create all sorts of havoc and death.

Then some have connected high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, buebonic plague.
Maybe I am getting a little carried away here but I haven't received my study grant yet, so I can't be sure.