People who are thin but have a short neck are prone to sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. The patient’s upper respiratory tract is narrow. Muscle relaxation during sleep causes the airway to be blocked. Air cannot enter the lungs smoothly, which can lead to hypoxia and various complications.

Most people with sleep apnea are obese, but it does not mean that thin people will not suffer from this disease.

Written by: Huang Qiongying, medical consultant and respiratory specialist

There was a 70-year-old man with a thin body. He initially sought medical attention for swollen feet and difficulty breathing. After a doctor’s examination, he was found to have severely high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery and right heart failure. The left heart and cardiovascular system were normal. The illness caused him to suspect that he was suffering from severe sleep apnoea causing cardiopulmonary disease.

Diagnosis of sleep apnea and refusal of treatment with right heart failure

The patient's chin is small and retracted, and the bell on his throat cannot be seen when he opens his mouth. In addition, he has a hunchback that affects the neck bone, which causes the upper respiratory tract to narrow. It is inferred that he may have suffered from sleep apnea when he was young.

Upon questioning, it turned out that he had been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea more than ten years ago, but he has refused treatment, resulting in complications of right heart failure.

Sleep apnea in thin people is mainly caused by bone, muscle or soft tissue structural problems, which makes the upper respiratory tract narrow.

The chin is extremely narrow and retracted. After the tongue, teeth, tonsils and other tissues are contained in the oral cavity, there is less room for breathing, which makes the upper airway compressed and prone to sleep apnea.

Men with a neck circumference larger than 17 inches and women with a neck circumference larger than 16 inches are at high risk

People with enlarged tongue are also susceptible to this disease.

When some patients open their mouths, their tongues are so large that the bells on their throats cannot be seen; when they are sleeping, their tongues tilt back and block the airways.

The tonsils are particularly enlarged or the soft jaws behind the upper jaw are thick and long, which can also block the upper respiratory tract.

Neck hypertrophy does not necessarily occur only in fat people, but also in thin people; men with a neck circumference larger than 17 inches and women with a neck circumference larger than 16 inches increase the risk of sleep apnea.

"Extremely inadequate", feeling of getting up, headache and dry mouth are symptoms

If citizens find that they or their family members have related symptoms, they should seek medical advice as soon as possible. For example, daytime sleepiness, watching TV, riding in a car, going to class or meeting, it is easy to fall asleep, and it is difficult to concentrate; Never slept.

When I go to bed at night, my nose snores loudly, and even apneas, "family members find that he is suffocated without breathing", or "I can’t breathe when I’m awake", there’s too much nocturnal urination, and "they are all too hard to breathe." It may be a symptom of sleep apnea.

Some patients may suffer from poor mood, tantrums, high blood pressure and decreased libido.

Patients who have long-term nasal congestion or nasal allergies, the upper respiratory tract lymphatic tissue swelling makes the respiratory tract narrow, and they are also more susceptible to sleep apnea.

People with a family history are also at higher risk. If family members have similar facial contours, they may have similar oral structure problems.

People with diabetes and hormone problems are also at higher risk.

Hypertension may improve after treatment of sleep apnea

The proportion of men suffering from sleep apnea is higher than that of women, and the risk of women suffering from the disease after menstruation is higher than when they were younger.

Elderly people aged 60 and 70 are at higher risk, but many elders think that "nocturnal urination is not enough" or nocturia is a phenomenon of old age, ignoring related symptoms.

Sleep apnea without early treatment can cause various complications, such as high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, etc., and even fall asleep while driving and cause traffic accidents.

I have encountered many patients with high blood pressure that is difficult to control, or frequent irregular heart rhythms. Both conditions have improved after the patients were diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea.

Citizens suspected of suffering from sleep apnea can receive multiple electrosomnographic examinations, which are safe, painless and non-invasive, and can be performed at home or in the hospital.

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CUHK refers to children suffering from sleep apnoea who are susceptible to hypertension in adulthood. Don’t ignore children’s snoring. CUHK study: Sleep apnea patients increase the risk of postoperative cardiovascular complications. Children with sleep apnea. High-risk males B with blue lips from 2 to 8 years old Illness (with drowsiness test sheet attached)