Snorers at risk of sudden death

GREATER KAILASH, India - Dec. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- The interrupted night time breathing of sleep apnea increases the risk of dying said Dr K K Padma Shri & Dr. BC Roy National Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India Sleep apnea is a common problem in which one has pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep.

Studies have linked sleep apnea during snoring to increased risk for death. Most studies were done in sleep centers rather than in the general community. An Australian study, published in edition of Sleep, suggests that the risk is present among all people with obstructive sleep apnea.

The study researcher Nathaniel Marshall, from Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, said that the size of the increased mortality risk is surprisingly large. The study showed a six-fold increase, which means that having significant sleep apnea at age 40 gives you about the same mortality risk as somebody aged 57 who does not have sleep apnea.

For the study, Marshall's team collected data on 380 men and women, 40 to 65 years old, who participated in the Busselton Health Study. Among these people, three had severe obstructive sleep apnea, 18 had moderate sleep apnea, and 77 had mild sleep apnea. The remaining 285 people did not suffer from the condition. During 14 years of follow-up, about 33 percent of those with moderate to severe sleep apnea died, compared with 6.5 percent of those with mild sleep apnea and 7.7 percent of those without the condition. For patients with mild sleep apnea, the risk of death was not significant and could not be directly tied to the condition.

People who have, or suspect that they have, sleep apnea should consult their physicians about diagnosis and treatment options.

Another study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin has also shown that severe sleep apnea was associated with a three-fold increased risk of dying. In addition, for those with moderate to mild sleep apnea, the risk of death was increased 50 percent compared with people without sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is also linked to future heart attacks and with thickened wall thickness of the neck artery.

About HCFI : The only National Not for profit NGO, on whose mega community health education events, Govt. of India has released two National commemorative stamps and one cancellation stamp, and who has conducted one to one training on” Hands only CPR” of 80967  people since 1^st November 2012.

The CPR 10 Mantra is – “within 10 minutes of death, earlier the better; at least for the next 10minutes, longer the better; compress the centre of the chest of the dead person continuously and effectively with a speed of 10x10 i.e. 100 per minute.”

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