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Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder that leads to intermittent breathing repeatedly during sleep.
According to sleep experts, obstructive sleep apnea affects persons of all ages, with an increasing prevalence in those older than 60 years. However, the exact prevalence is unknown but is estimated to be between 2% and 14%. That is why obstructive sleep apnea study is essential to determine whether someone has sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea Treatment
Here are some sleep apnea treatment approaches that one can use to overcome sleep apnea.
Lifestyle Changes and Weight Reduction
Obesity can lead to fatty deposits around the neck that may contribute to pharyngeal collapse. Even though a decrease in weight has been shown to reduce the airway’s critical closing pressures, there are inconsistent findings on the association between weight reduction and an overall improvement in sleep and breathing patterns. If you would like to get adequate help in overcoming sleep apnea, it would be best to obtain a VirtuClean 2.0 for cleaning and sanitizing your CPAP device.
Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP use is effective and remains the first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP works through pneumatic splinting of the upper airways. Airway pressure may be applied through oral, oronasal, and nasal devices. A recent review of CPAP interfaces confirmed that most patients prefer nasal masks. However, further studies are needed to assess the comparative advantages of each delivery system. CPAP adherence rates range between 15% and 85%, with improved adherence in patients who get early and continued education and support on CPAP use. A Lumin cleaner can help in overcoming CPAP cleaning challenges.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Even though CPAP is the preferred treatment modality for OSA, oral appliances are a reasonable alternative if patients cannot endure CPAP. The two primary oral appliance therapies are mandibular advancement devices that keep the patient’s jaw forward to maintain an open airway, and tongue-retaining devices, which splint the tongue in place to keep the airway open. Newer devices like oral pressure therapy that uses a mouthpiece and a vacuum pump to stabilize upper airway tissue are being studied.
Surgery
Various surgeries have been proposed and attempted to correct anatomic obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, including nasal procedures, oral procedures, hypopharyngeal procedures, laryngeal procedures, and global airway procedures. According to systematic reviews, there is insufficient evidence to support surgery in general or any type of surgery in particular for the treatment of OSA. Advantages of bariatric surgery in obese patients with OSA include an improvement in more than 75% of patients and a remission rate of 40% after two years.
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