It’s estimated that 18 million Americans suffer Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). For relief from blockage of their upper airway, sufferers sometimes use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine which keeps the airway open by pumping a continuous stream of air though a mask o nose piece while the patient sleeps.
All is well while the machine is being used, but a new study found that once a patient stops using the machine, the condition returns rapidly – and it can be deadly.
The new Swiss study found that those apnea patients who used CPAP therapy and then discontinued it for two weeks experienced sleepiness and fatigue within only a few days. Worse, within fourteen days, they had significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and deterioration in vascular function.
So, if you’re using CPAP therapy, take your machine along with you on vacation. The results suggest that even a short break in CPAP therapy has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system.
The study appears online in the "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine."
