Asthma and CPAP

Hi all,

Just curious. I have asthma as well as OSA. I have not had an exacerbation in a while - and, not since on CPAP. I am wondering what people's experiences are with CPAP during an asthma exacerbation. Thanks, Jen

Hi. I have both severe adult onset asthma and very severe osa. I have been hospitalized with asthma twice since I was diagnosed with osa about two years ago. Both times I took my machine to the hospital with me. Since my asthma is triggered by viral respiratory infections, I got a full face mask for times when I have a cold. My last full fledged asthma attack was this past March and I spent 10 days in the hospital. I am now at home, still recovering, and still unable to return to work yet. One of the biggest problems I had in the hospital was that I did not bring my full face mask to the hospital with me, and did not have anyone who could retrieve it for me. I use a Breeze with nasal pillows, yet because of my cold it was really hard to breathe through my nose and my asthma was making it even much harder. I now have the full face mask in my carrying case for my BiPAP so that I will not forget it next time. I found the nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. not very knowledgeable about dealing with combination of asthma and osa. At times it was really, really scary and yet the nurses did not recognize the danger. However, I think that that could also be true for an asthmatic patient who does not have osa. An asthmatic would probably know when he/she was getting into a very dangerous zone by using a peak flow meter and nurses do not have any understanding of that. All in all, the combination of asthma and osa makes an asthma attack even more dangerous, in my opinion anyway.

Now for the good news. Since I started using a BiPAP about 16 months or so ago, I have had far fewers colds. I believe that XPAP may strengthen one's immune system by allowing a person to get more sleep than possible with untreated osa. I know that I may be generalizing a bit here, but some other XPAP users have noted the same effect of not getting as many colds as they did prior to going on XPAP. (I should also note that my doctors do not agree with me on that, saying it is just a matter of what germs you come across. Even so, my doctors have commented on how clear my lungs sound, seem surprised even. But not just now because I am still just recovering from my March attack.)

I don't know what triggers your asthma but I hope you have the same possitive experience with your use of XPAP as I have.
Best wishes! Ann