An Introduction to Sleep Apnea: Forms of Sleep Apnea
Posted on | October 8, 2009 | No Comments
The three distinct forms of sleep apnea are titled ‘central’, ‘obstructive’ and ‘complex’, with obstructive apnea being the most common accounting for 84% of cases. Complex is just behind, encompassing 15% of cases while central covers only 0.4%. The exact form of sleep apnea that the patient is experiencing can be identified by the polysomnogram, and the distinction lies in the exact cause of the difficulties in breathing.
In rare cases of central sleep apnea, the difficulty in breathing comes from a lack of ‘respiratory effort’. This means that the individual has simply stopped breathing with no cause as their body shuts down for sleep, just as it’s possible to ‘forget’ to breath when concentrating on something very hard.
In obstructive sleep apnea, as the name suggests, difficulty in breathing is caused by an actual obstruction or blockage in the nasal passage or throat. This can be caused by sinus problems or by being overweight in which case your own neck can become an obstruction. In these cases the individual is still making effort to breath but physically cannot.
Finally in complex sleep apnea (also known as ‘mixed’ sleep apnea) the patient experiences a combination of both forms of apnea, or transitions between the two.
Tags: Central > Complex > Forms of Sleep Apnea > Obstructive > Types of Apnea
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