Chicken or The Egg: Did Sleep Apnea Come First or The Serious Medical Condition

Sleep Apnea Pathfinders

This episode discusses the issue of sleep apnea and various serious health conditions. There has been many discussions and studies about whether sleep apnea contributed to the onset of specific serious health conditions. The research studies have identified a number of medical conditions which have a higher rate of occurrence for people with sleep apnea. Some are well known such as:

• high blood pressure
• type 2 diabetes
• and metabolic syndrome which include high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high blood sugar, and increased waist circumference

There are some other less known medical conditions which also have a higher rate of occurrence than that of the general population. These are glaucoma, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and floppy eyelid syndrome.
We discuss these medical conditions in this episode as we are highlighting the issues related to sleep apnea through a physical lens. In listening to this episode, we want to point out that other diagnoses can oftentimes become the focal point. This leaves little room for sleep apnea which is underdiagnosed for some and possibly for many years.
We will continue to talk about related medical conditions that have a higher occurrence with sleep apnea than in the general population as the episodes progress.