The Hidden Dangers of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is more than an inconvenience; it can also be a killer. That’s the conclusion of a growing consensus in the medical community which holds that obstructed breathing at night can set off a cascade of symptoms that can quickly turn systemic, even deadly:

“People who have untreated sleep apnea have much more hypertension, heart attacks and stroke that are preventable if they take care of this problem early in life,” said Dr. Ralph Pascualy, who is both director of Swedish Sleep Medical Associates and CEO of Swedish Medical Group.

There are a number of pathways that enable these dangers to spread, including stress on the heart, the lungs, the brain and the lymphatic system. As the article clearly describes, the lingering health effects can be far-ranging:

Hypertension has been reported in 50 percent of patients with sleep apnea, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Sleep deficiency is also linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. It’s also associated with increased risk of falls in the elderly and risk of injury in adults, teens and children.

My sinus surgery practice addresses obstructive sleep apnea through a number of procedures, depending on the root cause of the problem. We perform turbinate reduction, septal surgery, nasal polyp removal and a variety of minimally invasive interventions to get you breathing again. Please contact the LA sinus surgeons today to learn more.