It is the silent danger on the road.
Disturbed sleep caused by conditions like sleep apnea has been linked to various serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Now, a study published on January 21 in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery adds car accidents to the list of risks for those with untreated sleep apnea.
Researchers found that people with untreated sleep apnea are at a higher risk of being involved in vehicle crashes. Elliott Sina, the lead researcher and a student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, highlighted the serious impact untreated obstructive sleep apnea can have on both personal health and public safety.
Sleep apnea occurs when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during the night, often due to throat muscles relaxing and blocking airflow. Common treatments include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, which keep airways open, and surgery to remove or shrink tissue or reposition the jaw. Some patients may also benefit from an implant that stimulates the hypoglossal nerve, which controls tongue movement.
The study analyzed data from over 2.8 million people with sleep apnea, including more than 700,000 who used a CPAP machine and nearly 12,000 who underwent surgery. Results showed that 5% of untreated patients were involved in car accidents, compared to 6% of those using CPAP and 3% of those who had surgery. Those who received no treatment were 21% more likely to have a crash than those who had surgery, and surgery outperformed CPAP, reducing the odds of a wreck by 45%.
Researchers noted that untreated patients may have had milder forms of sleep apnea, which could explain their lower crash rates compared to CPAP users. However, the study suggests that surgery can be a highly effective treatment, reducing the risk of accidents for certain patients with more severe cases of sleep apnea. Additionally, sleep apnea patients involved in accidents were found to be more likely to develop health issues following the crash.
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