Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about obstructive sleep apnea.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero tofinals.com slash sleep apnea

or in the respiratory section of the second edition that the zero to finals medicine book.

So let's get straight into it.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by collapse of the pharyngeal airway.

Apneas are episodes where the person stops breathing for up to a few minutes whilst they're asleep.

Partners may report the episodes while the patients are often completely unaware that they're happening.

Let's talk about the risk factors.

The risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea are being middle-aged, male, obesity, alcohol and smoking.

Next let's talk about the presentation.

The presenting features of obstructive sleep apnea are episodes of apnea during sleep, often reported by the partner,

snoring, morning headache, waking up feeling unrefreshed after being asleep,

daytime sleepiness, concentration problems, and reduced oxygen saturation levels during sleep.

Severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea can cause hypertension or high blood pressure and heart failure,

and also increase the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke.

Atompt it for you, when you're suspecting obstructive sleep apnea when taking your history,

ask about daytime sleepiness and occupation.

Daytime sleepiness should make you think about obstructive sleep apnea.

Patients that need to be fully alert for work,

such as heavy goods vehicle operators, require an urgent referral and may need amended duties whilst waiting for assessment and treatment. Next let's talk about the Epworth

sleepiness scale. The Epworth sleepiness scale is used to assess symptoms of sleepiness

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