Almost 11% of the adult Indian population suffers from sleep apnea, amounting to over ten crore adults. OSA is a chronic medical condition that repeatedly collapses the upper airway during sleep and can affect all ages and genders. Men, older individuals, and overweight individuals face the highest risk. Long-standing OSA increases the risk of metabolic disorders like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems, and strokes. It also causes depression, insomnia, and erectile dysfunction. One of the biggest challenges in treatment remains the lack of awareness and motivation to actively tackle it.
In the pediatric population, enlarged adenoids and tonsils commonly cause OSA. Kids with OSA often display irritability, hyperactivity, poor focus, and impaired learning abilities. Adults usually present with tiredness, increased daytime sleepiness, snoring and choking spells that sleep partners witness, headaches, increased dependence on tea, coffee, or smoking, and depression. OSA significantly contributes to road traffic accidents because drivers fall asleep at the wheel. Obstructive sleep apnea also worsens acid reflux and prevents proper control of hypertension and diabetes, which increases the risk of cardiac and neurological complications.
Doctors diagnose OSA through a sleep study that uses multimodal methods to analyze various parameters of sleep quality. Mild cases often improve with simple lifestyle changes and weight loss. Moderate to severe cases require a more proactive approach that includes CPAP machines, surgery, or a combination of both along with lifestyle modifications. Treatment may involve applying a CPAP machine, performing single-level or multilevel surgical procedures, or combining both. A multidisciplinary team—which may include an ENT surgeon, a pulmonologist, a physician or endocrinologist, a maxillofacial dental surgeon, and sometimes a cardiologist or neurologist—usually manages the treatment.
In short, we want to emphasise that regardless of age or gender, you should not ignore increased snoring simply because your ancestors snored. You should also not label daytime sleepiness as simple laziness.
