Central Sleep Apnea And Apnea Test

Central sleep apnea and apnea test

       Central sleep apnea means you stop breathing repeatedly during sleep because the brain is no longer sending signals to breathing muscles.

Causes

       Central sleep apnea occurs frequently in people with certain health conditions. For example, can occur in people who have life-threatening problems with the brain stem that controls breathing. As a result, any illness or injury affecting this area may cause problems with normal breathing during sleep or when awake.

       Conditions that may cause or lead to central sleep apnea include:

• Bulbar poliomyelitis
• Complications of cervical spine surgery
• Encephalitis affecting the brainstem
• Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease
• Radiation to the cervical spine
• Severe arthritis and degenerative changes in the cervical or skull base
• Severe obesity
• Stroke affecting the brainstem
• Hypoventilation syndrome
• Use of certain medications such as painkillers containing narcotics

       There is a form of central sleep apnea that commonly occurs in people with congestive heart failure. The idiopathic central sleep apnea refers to apnea that is not associated with another disease. Central sleep apnea is not the same as obstructive sleep apnea, which is due to an obstruction in the airway.

Central sleep apnea symptoms

       People with central sleep apnea have episodes of stopping breathing during sleep.

Other symptoms may include:

• Restless sleep
• Daytime sleepiness
• Morning headaches
• Chronic Fatigue

       Other symptoms may occur if the apnea is due to a neurological condition. The symptoms depend on the underlying disease and what parts of the nervous system have been affected, but may include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Voice changes
• Weakness or numbness throughout the body

Exams and Tests

       The doctor will perform a physical exam. Apnea test will be done to diagnose an underlying medical condition. A sleep study (polysomnography) can confirm the presence of sleep apnea.

       Other apnea test may be done include:

• Pulmonary function studies
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Central sleep apnea treatment

       For some type of central sleep apnea, you can use oxygen, nasal CPAP or bilevel positive pressure in the airway (BiPAP by its acronym in English). Some types of central sleep apnea are treated with drugs that stimulate breathing. Patients should avoid the use of any sedative medications. If central sleep apnea is due to heart failure, the goal is to treat the failure itself.

Prognosis

       In the case of idiopathic apnea, prognosis is usually favorable. In congestive heart failure, aggressive treatment of the heart may improve the outlook. If the cause is a brainstem injury, the prognosis tends to be worse.

Possible complications

       Complications may result from underlying disease causing central sleep apnea. Call your doctor if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. Central apnea is usually diagnosed in patients already seriously ill.

Apnea test

       For diagnose the apnea , an apnea test is performed. This test is called polysomnography. Apnea test is made in the night and consists in audio monitoring but also in monitoring the muscles, the oxygen level from the blood and the respiration. Another way for the apnea test is a polysomnography that you make alone at your home. The pacient is advised by the doctor in order to record his sleep by a computerized polysomnography. This thing is possible by connecting to electrodes. These apnea tests are not painfull. Oximetry is an apnea test which controls the oxygen level from the blood. This happens during your sleep. Drop oxygen level accompanied by awakenings means you have apnea. This test is not 100% sure so in order to obtain a correct diagnose a polysomnography should be done.