According to a study, obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of developing cancer.
People with OSA frequently stop breathing throughout the night due to partial or total obstruction of their airways while they are sleeping. The symptoms of this include daytime tiredness, loud snoring, gasping, and choking.
According to a sizable study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain, those who suffer obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at an increased risk of developing cancer.
According to a second study, OSA is also associated with a reduction in cognitive function in the elderly. Men and individuals who are 74 years or older showed a sharper decline in some cognitive assessments. According to a third study, patients with more severe OSA were more likely to experience blood clots in their veins, which could be fatal.
People with OSA frequently stop breathing throughout the night due to partial or total obstruction of their airways while they are sleeping. The symptoms of this include daytime tiredness, loud snoring, gasping, and choking. At least 7 to 13 percent of the population are reportedly impacted. The majority of OSA cases occur in people who are overweight or obese, have diabetes, smoke, or drink a lot of alcohol.
The first study’s presenter, Dr. Andreas Palm, senior consultant and researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, said: “It is already known that people with obstructive sleep apnea have a higher risk of developing cancer, but it is unclear whether this is because of OSA itself or because of other cancer risk factors like obesity, cardiometabolic disease, and lifestyle choices. Our findings demonstrate an independent link between cancer and oxygen deprivation brought on by OSA.”
The researchers considered variables that might have an impact on the findings, such as socioeconomic status, body size, and other health issues. A control group of 2,093 patients with OSA but no cancer was matched with 2,093 patients with OSA and a cancer diagnosis that had occurred up to five years earlier. The oxygen desaturation index (ODI), which counts the number of times an hour that levels of blood oxygen fall by at least 3% for ten seconds or more, or the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which counts breathing abnormalities during sleep, were used to assess the severity of OSA.
“The results of this study emphasize the necessity to take untreated sleep apnea into account as a risk factor for cancer and the need for doctors to be conscious of the possibility of cancer when treating OSA patients. Our study’s findings, however, do not support or advise expanding cancer screening to all OSA patients.”
