Sleep Apnea and Inflammation??

Hi All,

It is possible that I'm being too optimistic in thinking that treatment with the CPAP will alleviate certain health issues that I have. I know that there are other lifestyle changes I need to make. My sleep hygiene isn't great, just to get that out of the way. Perhaps having more energy after treatment with a CPAP will make it easier for me to make some of these other changes.

I seem to have developed a sensitivity to some of the meds I'm on in a way that I did not before. I'm sensitive to a LOT of things that previously didn't bother me. I had a C Reactive Protein (CRP) test done. In all three tests I've done over the past 2 years, I averaged about a 10. The normal range is 0 to 4. This test may be a predictor of future heart disease. But at my age, I've been told it's more likely a marker of generalized systemic inflammation. The last doctor I had (who recently left her practice), didn't make much of it. But it was the one test I've had that was quite abnormal.

Of course I did a Google search. And as some of your probably know, when you combine two search terms as I did ("sleep apnea and inflammation"), you often find that there is a connection. So of course, I found this (if you care to read it; it's brief). http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/0 ... tion/?_r=0

However, I'm curious to know if any of you have been diagnosed with high levels of inflammation, and if so, treatment with a CPAP brought those levels down. In all honesty, things got weird(er) with my health after I had my gallbladder removed. And I have wondered if the anesthesia had anything to do with that. My pulmonary doctor told me, "I don't want to scare you, but a lot of things can happen under anesthesia." At the time of the surgery, I had not been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I maybe be stretching possible connections here.

I guess what I'm really curious to know is if any of you had high levels of general inflammation, and if so, were you able to tell if the CPAP has/has not made any difference in lowering those levels. Thanks!

Successful XPAP treatment may help your underling medical problems, or not. For sure it will allow you to enjoy and worry about them longer. Jim

In life, everything causes everything.

Hi - did you notice in the article where it says Cpap can help lower CR protein (and therefore inflammation)? That's the part you want to concentrate on, not the negative stuff. But what it will do or not do (after some time) remains to be seen - obviously markers, BP, nocturia etc. won't necessarily just disappear after one night, but for me, e.g. I no longer needed to get up for the bathroom overnight, BP and cholesterol went down and headaches disappeared (and those did happen quite quickly), so don't look for trouble now, just hang on til you see what happens. Certainly many signs of 'inflammation' are connected to apnea, but that's not news... they just came up with the term recently is all.

They offered a c-reactive protein test as part of a health check through our local hospital. My sister had a level of 3 and freaked herself up about that. My Mom's was 41 and mine was 57, both of which prompted calls from the organisation to see a doctor. In my mom's case, it was due to arthritis. In mine, it simply confirmed that I had arthritis and at the time, pre-diabetes and an eczema flair up. We did that test 10 years ago. My mom has no heart disease, but I've gone on to develop diabetes. So anyway, the point is, don't worry about it. At your level, it's a big nothing. Oh and my sister's is due to arthritis as well. I'm sure if she had that test today, the marker would be much higher.

My CRP has gone all the way down from 10 to 8. We still have no idea why it's so high, but I seem to have neurological and/or muscular problems (although apparently not MS) that could be driving it up. And the zebra hunt continues....

Goofproof wrote:In life, everything causes everything.

Nice quote

SewTired wrote:They offered a c-reactive protein test as part of a health check through our local hospital. My sister had a level of 3 and freaked herself up about that. My Mom's was 41 and mine was 57, both of which prompted calls from the organisation to see a doctor. In my mom's case, it was due to arthritis. In mine, it simply confirmed that I had arthritis and at the time, pre-diabetes and an eczema flair up. We did that test 10 years ago. My mom has no heart disease, but I've gone on to develop diabetes. So anyway, the point is, don't worry about it. At your level, it's a big nothing. Oh and my sister's is due to arthritis as well. I'm sure if she had that test today, the marker would be much higher.

I hope you're right, SewTired. I have heard of astronomically high levels like the ones you mentioned. The tough thing is knowing whether the level you're at is your "normal". Maybe the values I got were my normal. I'll see if anything happens after I've been on the CPAP and continue to monitor it. I'm still going to continue to press for answers. Not necessarily related to apnea, but the overall implications of the test. It amuses me that doctors will freak out if you have low Vitamin D and prescribed you massive amounts of supplemental Vitamin D. In the past several years, my Vitamin D levels have been everything from in a good range to low. Up and down, totally different each time. I guess I just don't trust my doctors very much. I would think that if I had low Vitamin D, a doctor might say, "let's re-test in a few months." But it seems like one of the few things they can address and prescribe something for. Inflammation is far less clear cut. So the response has been, "Meh". And that worries me far more, unfortunately. Thanks for the reassurance though, SewTired. I think if I felt better health-wise overall, I'd be less concerned about the high CRP value in the absence of any other abnormal values in all my blood work. It's so hard to know. So very, very hard.

Sometimes I think normal means the doctor does not have a good treatment for that issue. so the results are, a lot of others have that.

Darth Lady wrote:My CRP has gone all the way down from 10 to 8. We still have no idea why it's so high, but I seem to have neurological and/or muscular problems (although apparently not MS) that could be driving it up. And the zebra hunt continues....

Darth Lady, what have you been told (other than MS possibly driving it up?) Do you have any suspicions as to what it might be? Mine was at 14.5 when last checked. I can understand a very, VERY high value for arthritis where it's clear that there is inflammation in the joints. But more general inflammation is concerning, even if 14.5 is in my personal range of "normal". I know stressing about these things doesn't help. But it's more about the stress of feeling like a doctor isn't doing something when they could be. How easily they brush things off. Once upon a time, I'd let it go and move on. But not when I'm not feeling well. If everything causes everything, then something can be done to affect something. It's whether someone is willing to explore that "something" that makes the difference in my mind. Good luck to you, Darth Lady!

Grace, check out this brief article in Chest journal. It's titled Inflammation and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: How Many Ways Do I look at thee?

http://journal.publications.chestnet.or ... id=1082648

And, first a disclaimer. I am not a physician, and I do not make recommendations for anyone to take anything. And, check w your doc before trying anything new. That said, I take fish oil daily, and my CRP happens to be quite low. You might want to read about it, and make an informed decision.

Lots of places to read, Dr Barry Sears (Zone Diet) has several excellent books in the relationship between inflammation and fish oil. Other fine lit resources exist.

Also consider whether you might happen to choose pro-inflammatory foods. Grains (including whole grains), sugar, other carbohydrates, and egg yolks can be highly inflammatory.

Good luck handling the inflammation.

Treating apnea certainly will help because the stress hormones secreted during sonic episodes most certainly do contribute to inflammation. But there are other things you can do, too.

Diet is a big contributor to systemic I nflammation. One of the biggest contributors is what we've been told were "heart healthy" processed "vegetable" oils (soy, canola, safflower, peanut, etc). These oils are inflammatory because they are highly oxidized during the processing. They are also mostly omega 6 fats and the high amount of O6 oils we ingest contribute to inflammation. One of the best things you can do is switch to omega 6 oils which come from natural, unprocessed sources (fat from pastured animals and dairy, cold water fish, coconut oil, and monounsaturated fat from Olive oil). Reducing omega six oils to a minimum and swapping them for these natural sources of fat will go a long way in reducing inflammation.

Eating plenty of colorful vegetables and low glycemic fruits (especially berries) will help, too.

Captain_Midnight wrote:Grace, check out this brief article in Chest journal. It's titled Inflammation and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: How Many Ways Do I look at thee?

http://journal.publications.chestnet.or ... id=1082648

And, first a disclaimer. I am not a physician, and I do not make recommendations for anyone to take anything. And, check w your doc before trying anything new. That said, I take fish oil daily, and my CRP happens to be quite low. You might want to read about it, and make an informed decision.

Lots of places to read, Dr Barry Sears (Zone Diet) has several excellent books in the relationship between inflammation and fish oil. Other fine lit resources exist.

Also consider whether you might happen to choose pro-inflammatory foods. Grains (including whole grains), sugar, other carbohydrates, and egg yolks can be highly inflammatory.

Good luck handling the inflammation.

Thank you, Captain Midnight. Things like Turmeric and Fish Oil have been mentioned to me by friends. The doctors I've gone to see don't seem to be concerned. I have friends who are younger doctors and are more used to hearing terms like "inflammation"-- or at least are more understanding that it's concerning to their patients. Even they have mentioned Fish Oil supplements and dietary changes. I don't think it's very clear cut as to what the cause is, and it's probably different for everyone. Which obviously makes it harder to treat.

In all honesty, with the disappointing experiences I've had with various doctors over the past 8 years, at least I can say that my pulmonary doctor has been great. The diagnosis of sleep apnea was clear cut. And there's a clear cut answer to treating it. If only everything were that straightforward......sigh.

Janknitz wrote:Treating apnea certainly will help because the stress hormones secreted during sonic episodes most certainly do contribute to inflammation. But there are other things you can do, too.

Diet is a big contributor to systemic I nflammation. One of the biggest contributors is what we've been told were "heart healthy" processed "vegetable" oils (soy, canola, safflower, peanut, etc). These oils are inflammatory because they are highly oxidized during the processing. They are also mostly omega 6 fats and the high amount of O6 oils we ingest contribute to inflammation. One of the best things you can do is switch to omega 6 oils which come from natural, unprocessed sources (fat from pastured animals and dairy, cold water fish, coconut oil, and monounsaturated fat from Olive oil). Reducing omega six oils to a minimum and swapping them for these natural sources of fat will go a long way in reducing inflammation.

Eating plenty of colorful vegetables and low glycemic fruits (especially berries) will help, too.

I do love vegetables! They just don't love me that much. Very hard on my sensitive tummy.

Medical education today, especially continuing education is mostly funded by big pharma. If big pharma doesn't have a prescription for it, the problem doesn't exist. If they come up with a prescription for a problem that doesn't exist they will invent a problem to treat with the new prescription.
If your Vitamin D level fluctuates wildly could it be the difference between testing in summer and testing in winter. If you are out in the sun all summer and inside all winter your natural ability to make Vitamin D will be affected. Also what are the numbers at the extremes of your tests. Most doctors are much more conservative than the ones I prefer to listen to.

Also if your tummy is very sensitive you might look into pro biotics. They can help to get your tummy to where it can process and absorb more nutrition from the food you eat.

bwexler wrote: If big pharma doesn't have a prescription for it, the problem doesn't exist. If they come up with a prescription for a problem that doesn't exist they will invent a problem to treat with the new prescription.

That right there pretty much sums up how I feel about the medications that are available to us today. I completely agree with you about Vitamin D. My varying levels didn't concern me at all. When my value was low, my doctor prescribed me 50,000 IUs at one time. I asked her what her main concern was with my low Vitamin D level and she said "Osteoporosis". I said, "I'm 35, fit and average weight". (At that time I was.) She said, "Still, we don't want to take any chances." Yeah, there's a prescription I never filled. Needless to say, the value was normal next time I got tested (winter vs spring?) My main concerns at that time were digestive problems. GERD, bloating, fullness, pain. She told me to take some Maalox. The sad thing is, I loved this woman. Her kindness alone was very helpful-- at least in the beginning.

But I digress....the article I found did say that treating apnea could lower one's CRP (inflammation) values. My hope is that finally finding something definitive that wasn't normal (obstructive sleep apnea), and having a proven treatment for it will be motivation for me to make healthier choices all around. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I have tried probiotics and my body is so sensitive that it does a number on me (I'm pretty sure I have A LOT of unhealthy gut bacteria!) So I'm going to give myself plenty of time to make adapting to the CPAP my focus. But again, I think it could be a source of motivation. At least, I hope so!