Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA):
Singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri (69) passed away following complications from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), bringing attention to a widely prevalent but under-diagnosed medical condition.
- OSA is a disorder in which a person’s breathing stops and starts repeatedly in their sleep.
- Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs when muscles in the throat and upper airway relax intermittently during sleep and block the airway.
- It usually happens in obese men, less commonly in women but it does happen. When a person is obese, they develop extra fat on their larynx and pharynx (muscles in the throat) that can close off their airway in sleep.
- Although the condition doesn’t kill by itself, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes due to the low oxygen level. In the long run, it can also result in increasing blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and other metabolic disorders.
- It further leads to an increase in obesity, compounding the problem.
- OSA also leads to a lot of road traffic accidents as people with OSA tend to doze off while driving.
- OSA is the most common cause of road accident in the US.
- Snoring is one of the most common symptoms of OSA, but not everyone who snores has it.
- For treatment, the best method is to use a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy.
