Can Sleep Apnea Cause Death?

[Wild Irish Rose]

Hello, All!

I am so new to CPAPTalk.com that I haven't even had time enough to wipe my feet on the Welcome mat yet! Also, please excuse the light-glare off my shiny new nametag (handing out sunglasses). I'll run it through some grunge as soon as possible.

I'm sure my question has already been asked and answered at least a hundred times over on this website, but I'd die of old age before I could even find ONE of them! (This group is enormous!!!)

My question is this: can — and do — people actually DIE from Sleep Apnea? A middle-aged cousin of mine died a couple of years ago, supposedly from Sleep Apnea. Now, I was also recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, with 55 Sleep Apnea episodes per the first two-hours. I don't know if that number is considered good, bad, or otherwise with Sleep Apnea though, as I'm only now beginning to learn about it.

However, every time I mention the fate of my cousin to my Physician, Physician's Assistant, Nurse, Technician, etc., they look at me incredulously and say (in a rather disbelieving tone of voice): "Are you SURE she died from Sleep Apnea?! Was it officially documented as Sleep Apnea on her death certificate???

Due to the reaction of disbelief by my medical network, I now question whether or not Sleep Apnea is even as dangerous as I've been led to believe up until this point!

Might someone know the answer to this question?

Thank you!

(Trying NOT to fall asleep at all!)

[Julie]

The reaction you get from med. personnel may be more due to their being scientifically specific about things - in other words on postmortem exam the findings may show heart disease, potential stroke, etc... but they likely existed prior to death, but were brought on by apnea (sooner than they otherwise would have killed him). Yes, apnea can 'kill' if your airway's blocked by either anatomy or e.g. your tongue falling back when sleeping and blocking things, you will effectively strangle, or at least so little 02 reaches your lungs, heart, etc. that you die. We're not all using expensive equipment for nothing!

Oh and trying not to sleep is pretty silly and pointless, defeating the whole purpose if not of Cpap but your needing MORE (good) sleep. Apnea keeps you awake too whether or not you're aware of it each time, so you don't want to 'help' it along.

[raisedfist]

It's a contributing factor to many disease processes, some of which can lead to death. There are things worse than death, to me, like chronic reduction in quality of life.

[BTS]

Yes .. A friend a few years back had really horrible apnea and gave up using his machine a month into treatment because he felt better and ended up passing in his sleep.. I believe they did rule it as a stroke as cause of death but I am pretty sure it has a lot to do with the severity of apnea and not using the machine, which if using proper, probably would have lead to a longer life..

[jnk...]

It sounds like a straight-forward question, but the word "cause" has too strict of a definition in science for someone to be able to give a good short colloquial answer that also works scientifically.

Most deaths in which untreated OSA is a contributing factor are not suddenly triggered by a single apnea, but some are.

The greater risks are related to (1) deaths from long-term health issues in which untreated moderate-to-severe OSA was a factor and (2) deaths of those with any level of OSA having accidents from sleepiness during the day.

Untreated, or suboptimally treated, moderate-to-severe OSA increases risk of death from just about anything that kills. -- https://aasm.org/study-shows-that-peopl ... -of-death/

[AirMech74]

Anybody remember Reggie White? Defensive End for the Philidelphia Eagles, and Green Bay packers?...this was taken from his wikipedia page....

"On the morning of December 26, 2004, White was rushed from his home in Cornelius, North Carolina, to a nearby hospital in Huntersville, North Carolina, where he was pronounced dead. White had succumbed to cardiac arrhythmia. He was 43. According to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office, the most likely cause was the cardiac and pulmonary sarcoidosis White had lived with for years.[36] It was also stated that sleep apnea, from which White was known to suffer,[37] may have contributed to his death.[38] His grave site is located at Glenwood Memorial Park, Mooresville, North Carolina.[39]

White's wife, Sara, in conjunction with the Sleep Wellness Institute,[40] founded the Reggie White Sleep Disorders Research and Education Foundation,[41] dedicated to all people having access to treatment for sleep disorders, regardless of their socio-economic status."

Carrie Fisher.....also from wikipedia:

On January 9, 2017, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a death certificate that stated "cardiac arrest/deferred" as the cause of death. More tests were expected.[125] In a June 16, 2017, news release, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said that the exact cause of death could not be determined, but sleep apnea and the buildup of fatty tissue on the walls of arteries were among the contributing factors.[126] A full report from June 19, 2017, stated that Fisher had cocaine in her system, as well as traces of heroin, other opiates, and MDMA

[kteague]

Even when my sleep apnea was still classified mild to moderate, my brain scans showed microvascular ischemic lesions, the left ventricle of my heart was slightly enlarged, and I was having arrythmias. Not hard to imagine that a cerebral or cardiovascular event could be induced by an apnea event of long duration. It would be the stroke or heart attack that actually ended one's life, regardless of what precipitated the crisis.

[jnk...]

Even in the two cases mentioned, Mr. White and Ms. Fisher, the paperwork illustrates how complicated the question is. Sleep apnea is listed 3rd, and only as a history, for Mr. White, and in the case of Ms. Fisher, the first cause had to be struck through in order to modify immediate cause of death.

viewtopic/t41340/Can-sleep-apnea-kill.html

http://documents.latimes.com/read-carri ... s-autopsy/

[chunkyfrog]

Before cpap, apnea made my life so miserable
that I sometimes wondered if I would be better off dead.
Compliance was easy--so it was a gift.

[BTS]

Before cpap, apnea made my life so miserable
that I sometimes wondered if I would be better off dead.
Compliance was easy--so it was a gift.

I know what you mean... I couldn't imagine having apnea attacks anymore ... And those times I knock the mask off and do have one it reminds me how important this treatment is... Death was a comforting thought when I was not on xPAP....

[Bill44133]

Take 15 minutes to review this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

This video put the whole thing in perspective for me.

It should be required viewing for any one who is new. I think it should answer your question.

[golfer71909]

Two friends of ours have died in their sleep from sleep apnea, according to their wives. I 'm going through this hell of adjusting to treatment solely to protect me from joining them.

[chunkyfrog]

I salute anyone who has to use will power alone to stick to using cpap--and does it.
It is worth it, but hard to see when it is a ways off.

[BTS]

I salute anyone who has to use will power alone to stick to using cpap--and does it.
It is worth it, but hard to see when it is a ways off.

It's still a struggle for me and that's knowing the dangers and how much it helps .. I am getting better each night I just wish I wouldn't wake up so damn much throughout the night or fall back asleep too tired to put the mask back on ... Every night it gets a little bit better ... I'll soon be there this is about 4 weeks into ASV treatment for me, my numbers are great my hours are still avg 5 each night with about 4 - 5 wake ups... about 1 an hour ... I want it so bad too ..

[D.H.]

Dying directly of Sleep Apnea does happen.

Dying of the complications of Sleep Apnea is much more common.

Note that even if one dies of Sleep Apnea, the death certificate might say heart attack or list some other immediate cause. This is due to not being able to prove that Sleep Apnea is the direct cause of death, especially if the deceased was never diagnosed.