Hello, welcome everybody, this is Doctor Bolad. Today I will talk to you about a very common
and underdiagnosed condition that affects the hearts of millions of people. This condition is
known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. For those who are new to my channel, I am a board-certified
cardiologist and interventional cardiologist, and here on this channel you will find lots of
education about heart health and heart disease, so if you are interested, don’t forget to subscribe,
and switch on the notification bell so that you don’t miss any new videos that i post. So let us
get started with this video about the Obstructive Sleep Apnea and its Effects on the Heart
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repetitive
episodes in which breathing stops and starts during sleep, due to the upper airway becoming
blocked many times during sleep, resulting in reduced or completely stopped airflow during
sleep. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea are often obese and have an increased prevalence
of numerous other cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Obstructive sleep apnea is two to four times more common in men compared to women. Studies have
shown a consistent association between obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure, coronary
heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. I will now discuss the complications
that occur in the cardiovascular system from obstructive sleep apnea if left untreated.
High blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnea often coexist. It has been well established that
obstructive sleep apnea is associated with lack of the normal pattern of reduction of
blood pressure during sleep even in those taking blood pressure lowering medications.
The association appears to be particularly evident in patients with resistant high blood pressure.
treatment is by using a CPAP machine at night, and this has been shown to
be effective in reducing blood pressure. Coronary artery disease. There is increasing
evidence that severe obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased
risk for cardiovascular death related to coronary heart disease. This effect may be
mediated by the association between obstructive sleep apnea and multiple vascular risk factors,
including high blood pressure, decreased high density lipoproteins, increased C-reactive
protein, increased homocysteine, increased blood glucose , and insulin resistance and diabetes.
Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with positive airway machine using the CPAP machine at night
may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, including events related to coronary
artery disease such as angina and heart attacks Atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. There
is a strong association between obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation,
independent of obesity and other factors. Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and commonly fast
heart rate that originates from the upper part of the heart. It is unclear
whether treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with positive airway pressure using the CPAP machine
at night, or whether it reduces the incidence of atrial fibrillation occurring. Obstructive
sleep apnea is also associated with increased or decreased heart beats that occur at night.
Sudden cardiac death. data suggest that severe or untreated obstructive sleep
apnea may increase the risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmias leading to death.
Heart failure. Obstructive sleep apnea is commonly observed in patients with heart failure
in patients with reduced cardiac ejection fraction.
Obstructive sleep apnea may be underdiagnosed in this population since typical symptoms of
heart failure, such as nocturnal shortness of breath may be ascribed to heart failure
when they actually represent signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
Pulmonary hypertension. This is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries that takes blood away
from the right ventricle to be oxygenated in the lungs. There is increased prevalence of pulmonary
hypertension in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. When present in patients
without coexisting lung disease, the degree of pulmonary hypertension is typically mild.
The presence of pulmonary hypertension may have prognostic importance in patients with
obstructive sleep apnea. Data suggest that nocturnal hypoxia, more so than sleep apnea,
is associated with increased incidence of death. Venous thromboembolism. Obstructive sleep apnea
may be a risk factor for venous thromboembolism, causing increased incidence of deep vein
thrombosis , like for example clots in the legs and clots in the lungs pulmonary arteries
If you have any question about what I presented to you today, then subscribe
to my channel and share your question in the comments section below and I will reply to you.
If you have a question that you would not like to share in public, then follow me on Twitter
or Instagram @DoctorBolad and then send me a private direct message and I will reply to you.
If you found value in this video, then please like and share this video with family and friends.
This is Doctor Bolad, helping you with your heart health, thanks for watching, and talk to you soon.