Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It is estimated that nearly one in 12 adults has OSA. OSA is especially common in people who are overweight, older, have diabetes, and have high blood pressure. However, anyone can have sleep apnea and as many as 20% of people with sleep apnea are not overweight. Once thought as mostly a men’s disorder, sleep apnea is now recognized to be common in women. The prevalence of sleep apnea increases in women after menopause. Keep reading
The word “apnea” derives from a Greek word meaning “no breathing.” Sleep apnea refers to a common and serious medical disorder where breathing during sleep stops for periods of 10 seconds or more repetitively over the night. In the mildest form, breathing interruptions are partial — these events are called “hypopneas”. Keep reading
Obstructive sleep apnea is now the number one reason for performing adenotonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids) in children in the U.S. It is estimated that over 500,000 adenotonsillectomies are performed annually in children. While in general this procedure is considered low risk, there are known potential consequences include bleeding and blockage of the airway due to swelling in the immediate post-operative period. Keep reading
