Can someone die from sleep apnea?

by Joe

The answer to this question is a resounding yes. My mother died in '09 from an enlarged heart (left ventrical hypertrophy LVH), brought on by untreated sleep apnea.

She was in good health, walking 3 miles daily and losing weight, but she refused to believe that she snored or had sleep apnea. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in '07 and following her death in '09 had an echocardiogram done.

Results stated that I also have an enlarged heart. I have read, however, that using cpap can reduce the size of the heart. My problem is that I tend to have apneas while sitting in a chair, without my cpap mask on.


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May 21, 2011
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starstarstarstar 		Good news for you
by: Remy

Joe, if you can tolerate the CPAP, then I have good news for you: compliant use of XPAP therapy effectively reduces hypertension readings by up to 25%, and also reduces the liklihood of stroke by up to 33%.

In the case of an enlarged heart caused by untreated sleep apnea, if the damage isn't too bad, there is a good chance that the enlargement will diminish to a good degree.

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