a series of new studies may serve as a wakeup call for the millions of canadians who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (osa).
according to new findings,
presented at the european respiratory society’s international congress in barcelona, spain
, people who suffer from the sleep disorder face an increased risk of cancer and blood clots as well as a decline in mental processing power in old age.
around 5.4 million canadians have either been diagnosed with sleep apnea or are at high risk,
according to a 2014 study
. osa, the most common form of sleep apnea, occurs when the upper airways become blocked, often because the soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses and obstructs the flow of oxygen to the lungs. many of the symptoms of osa are felt the next day, including a morning headache, fatigue, irritability or mood changes, poor concentration, memory loss or a lowered sex drive. people who are overweight or obese, drink or smoke heavily or who have diabetes face the greatest risk of diagnosis.
oxygen deprivation linked to cancer and cognitive decline
“it is known already that patients with obstructive sleep apnoea have an increased risk of cancer but it has not been clear whether or not this is due to the osa itself or to related risk factors for cancer, such as obesity, cardiometabolic disease and lifestyle factors,”
said andreas palm
, a researcher and senior consultant at uppsala university, sweden, who presented the first study. “our findings show that oxygen deprivation due to osa is independently associated with cancer.”