Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease
May 9, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular disease especially in people with abdominal obesity and drug-resistant hypertension. Sleep apnea is associated with:
- A three-fold increase in stroke risk
- Increased risk of myocardial infarction
- For each apneic event per hour of sleep patients typically experience, their chances of hypertension increased by 1%
How do you know if you have sleep apnea?
Here are some questions your doctor may ask you:
- Do you experience difficulty breathing when lying flat?
- Has anyone observed an irregular breathing pattern when you are sleeping or napping?
- Do you snore?
- Do you fall asleep easily and/or when you don’t intend to?
- Do you feel unrefreshed on awakening in the morning?
- Do you have a headache on awakening in the morning or during the night?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating or remembering things?
- Have you lost interest in life events that have previously been important to you?
If you answer “yes” to one or more of these questions, you should consider talking to your doctor.
MedPage Today, May 8, 2006
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