Can Sleep Apnea Increase the Risk for Cancers and Hypertension

Can Sleep Apnea Increase the Risk for Cancers and Hypertension

Is Sleep Apnea associated with an increased risk to cancer?

It is common knowledge that sleep apnea can wreak havoc on our normal sleeping habits, our ability to remain attentive during the day, and our mental health. But the potential harm that might be caused by this illness that can at times render a person helpless is becoming increasingly clear to us. Sleep apnea has been connected to diseases as dangerous as diabetes and cancer, and a study has shown how closely associated sleep apnea is with cancer. Diabetes and cancer are two of the most significant diseases that may be associated with sleep apnea.

The goal of the study was to find out what kind of link there is between how bad sleep apnea symptoms and how likely it is that a person will get certain cancers.

How much serious will it be? According to the study’s findings, having sleep apnea does not just increase your chances of getting cancer by a small margin; rather, the severity of your sleep apnea can increase your risk by 20 to 30 percent.

In order to carry out the study, the researchers looked at information provided by more than 33,000 individuals. They discovered that people who did not have cancer at the start of the study had a 7 percent chance of developing it over the course of seven years. A severe form of obstructive sleep apnea was linked to a 15% increased risk of developing cancer when compared to no sleep apnea at all. Click here to get how can sleep apnea cause high blood pressure?

According to the findings of the study, those individuals with obstructive sleep apnea who went on to acquire cancer were more likely to have lung cancer and colorectal cancer than any other form of cancer. Block has some opinions about why these specific malignancies are so much more frequent, despite the fact that the researchers didn’t offer any hypotheses about why this was the case.

Patients who are obese are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea and colorectal cancer, two conditions that are associated with obesity. As for the development of lung cancer, people who smoke have an increased risk of developing this sort of cancer, which may also contribute to or be the cause of sleep apnea.

According to sleep specialist, patients who are concerned about the possibility of acquiring comorbid diseases in addition to their sleep apnea should have an evaluation performed by an expert in sleep apnea and be fitted for a personalised sleep orthotic. We do not know how many of the patients in the research were undergoing therapy for sleep apnea at the time they were diagnosed with cancer. However, we do know that treatment for sleep apnea can enhance quality of life.

Patients with scleroderma who have OSA may have an increased risk of hypertension.

Patients who have scleroderma and also have obstructive sleep apnea have been shown to be at an increased risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, according to the findings of a recent study that was published in the journal Sleep and Breathing. 

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that leads to a hardening of the connective tissue that is found throughout the body. It is possible for it to cause the skin to become thickened and develop scar tissue, both of which can harm internal organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Even though we don’t know what causes scleroderma, we do know that it affects women more frequently than it does males. In fact, Scleroderma News reports that women are three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than men. Scleroderma is often found together with lupus and fibromyalgia, which affect women more often than men. 

According to the article “Sleep and Breathing,” an astounding 90 percent of people who have scleroderma will face some kind of lung-related difficulties. One of these concerns is pulmonary arterial hypertension, which affects 40 percent of people who have scleroderma. 

On the other hand, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep condition that causes the patient’s throat muscles to relax while they are sleeping. Snoring and trouble breathing are both symptoms of an obstruction in the airway, which is brought on by this condition. However, it is not the end of the story. According to a dental practitioner, obstructive sleep apnea can be a contributing factor in a range of mental health issues as well as a worsening of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. 

In the study titled “Sleep and Breathing,” researchers analysed the collected data from 62 individuals diagnosed with scleroderma who had been given sleep evaluations. Among those people, 43 had a form of scleroderma known as restricted scleroderma, whereas 19 had a form of scleroderma known as diffuse scleroderma. 

According to the findings of the study, individuals diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma were more likely to experience pulmonary complications than those diagnosed with limited scleroderma. This was determined by the researchers by measuring the patients’ main pulmonary artery diameter, abbreviated as mPAD. A bigger main pulmonary artery diameter was found in the individuals who suffered from both scleroderma and sleep apnea symptoms at the same time. This shows that people with OSA have a much higher chance of developing mPAD. 

The results of the study show that people with obstructive sleep apnea are 4.7 times more likely to have a larger main pulmonary artery diameter.
Despite the fact that the limited study did not investigate any treatments for sleep apnea, it is advised that individuals who have this disease should get it checked out as soon as possible. He says to talk to a professional sleep doctor and have a custom sleep orthotic made to help keep the airway open and make it easier to breathe while sleeping.